Minecraft: Thrive
by Directive 07
Summary: He has taken... everything. Our pride. Our purpose. Our brothers and sisters. Gone. That's the thing about us. We take our benefits of security for granted, but what if on that one fateful day the whole system falls apart? Will all of us render onto savages, resorting to mindless violence? Our ancestors spilled each other's blood for this land. They started this... We will end it.
1. Prologue: On that day

**This Character will most likely be the main character in all stories I write.**

**Character Bio**

Name: Nikolai

Age: 17

Nationality: American

Ethnic Group: Hispanic

Appearance: 5'5'' Dark grey eyes, has an A.I. unit in the back of his head (like the ones in halo but without the helmet), black hair, short haircut

Clothing: Black,Grey plaid shirt (long sleeves but rolled up to elbows), Titanfall cap, grey/black shemagh, dark blue jeans, black finger-less gloves, black socks, light grey/teal Reebok ZJET running shoes, and a smartwatch (from The Division or on the cover photo) on the left wrist

Personality: Neutral, Athletic, Lone wolf, Loves music, Has a habit of cussing, Not the best leader

**The style of this story is kinda like a hybrid of real life and minecraft.**

**This story was meant to look as if it was in anime**

It's been a month since the event... the reason THIS happened. I still remember how peaceful these streets were before this apocalypse happened. If you were smart you would leave the city, but some people well.. they made some bad decisions. Many militias have been formed along the way, some of them help you out, they give you food, water, and may spare a bullet or two, but the others.. they're monsters, when these assholes come into play they have have one goal and one goal only; making your life as fucking miserable as humanly possible, if you see these 'men' you better make a run for it or make every bullet count... but don't try waving the white flag... they will just strangle you with it. My role in this shit storm is kinda in between if I would say so myself, I killed people yes, but only in self defense and when someone tries to harm the innocent. But when this incident happened everything escalated VERY quickly but yeah I still remember exactly what happened on that day.

* * *

***7/26/2017, 12:18:23 AM***

"Hello sir may I help you?" I asked nonchalantly.

To be honest; I HATED this job more than anything, I loved serving the customers but it was the manager and my boss constantly breathing down my neck that made me rather 'angry'.

"Yes, I would like some soda for now." The man said.

"Alright, and your dinner?" I asked while writing the order on a notepad.

"I haven't decided yet." He replied firmly.

As I prepared to leave I heard the managers voice on the left of me.

"Hey, Nikolai I need to have a word with you." He said while entering a small office in the back of the restaurant.

_'Awesome.. just what I needed.' _I thought sarcastically.

_'Well you might at least hear him out before jumping to conclusions Nikolai.' _A mature radioed voice echoed through my mind. **(The A.I. sounds like the ghost from destiny.)**

Ignoring the voice I entered the office and took a seat.

"I'm afraid I have bad news for you." He started.

_'Well, time to look for more jobs when I get home. Anything left to say before I get fired Foxtrot?' _I thought.

_'Come on lighten up, there's a 35% chance of him to say what you're expecting.' _Foxtrot said reassuringly.

_'We'll see.' _I thought feeling slightly reassured.

"You have been promoted." He said, with an unreadable face

_'Bullshit...' _I thought.

"Well, if you could excuse me I have to wrap the day up." He said, getting up and announcing to everyone in the restaurant. "Alright people, we are now closed, these will be your last servings along with your orders." He announced while making a line towards the exit.

"Hey wait.. can you explain how the heck I got promoted?" I tried asking. But my efforts were useless as he already walked outside, rudely shutting the door on me.

_'Well.. that happened. Congratulations, I think your parents would be very proud of you.' _Foxtrot said approvingly.

"Yo Niko, here is the order for table eight!" A worker shouted to get my attention.

"Huh? oh.. yeah, I will be right with you." I responded. Taking the meal I made my way towards the customer. "Ah.. sorry for the wait sir things have been eventful today." I started to apologize only to be interrupted.

"No need to apologize." He said then added, "Congratulations though." He said, smiling.

"Wait wha-" I started to question, but he interrupted me by putting his hand up.

"You're a loud one aren't you?" He laughed.

Confused I looked around me to see everyone staring at me. Some were laughing a little and some looked at me disapprovingly.

_'Go and check out. I'm pretty sure your colleagues will understand. And also the fact that you got promoted, I think you earned it.' _Foxtrot said.

Without hesitating I went to the back of the restaurant and checked out. _'Colleagues? I wouldn't think this as a high class job.' _I thought as I walked to my car, a black 1970 Dodge Challenger.

_'Well... yeah I just wanted to make them sound professional.' _Foxtrot said, then asked, _'So what are you going to reward yourself with?' _The voice in my head asked curiously.

After entering my car I responded,_ 'What do you think? Finish watching breaking bad of course.' _I thought while turning on the radio.

_' Wh- really? I was expecting you to-' _Foxtrot started only to be interrupted by a distant sound of an explosion and screaming. This immediately got my attention as I looked at the back window of the car.

"What the." I thought out loud. Then suddenly the radio station changed into a broadcast.

* * *

**This is your national emergency broadcast system.**

**This is NOT a test.**

**Civilians are to stay indoors at all means necessary and await rescue. For those in a vehicle or have one you are instructed to leave the city.  
**

**If you have a child or loved ones missing please report to your local police department.**

* * *

"Oh shit..." I said unable to move due to shock. Is this an attack? Are there terrorists invading? Is my mother s-. I stopped at that last question. No... she WILL be fine. As I tried to reassure myself my body moved on it's own, grasping the gear and the wheel I drove my way into the city.

_'Uhh.. Nikolai?! I don't know if you heard the broadcast but we have to get OUTSIDE the city.' _Foxtrot said nervously.

I have to make sure. I have to...

It took a while for Foxtrot to notice what I was doing. _'Nikolai she will be fine! She is probably on her way out the city by now. You would be putting your life at risk for nothing!' _The more he tried to reassure me just made me more worried and I slowly speed up.

_'Nikolai! Stop this instant! This is ridiculous!' _As Foxtrot realized that I would not stop for nothing he eventually gave up. _'Fine. Don't say I did not warn you.' _He said, ending his efforts.

As I neared the city I checked around me. It was complete chaos as the roads were filled with abandoned cars, also people screaming in terror as they ran in all directions and several buildings on fire. _'What the hell happened here?'_ Then being the presistant guy Foxtrot tried once more.

_'Roads blocked. Maybe we sh-' _I then angrily interrupted him.

_'No... I will not be stopped by just a few cars' _I thought.

_'Well tough guy.. there's absolutely no solutions to this proble-' _As he was talking I stepped out of my car and ran towards the apartments, where my mother lived.

As I was running through the alleyways I heard many screams along the way. _'What's going on?! there's nothing here, why is everyone screaming for?' _As I reached the end of the alleyway and back on the streets I saw something that answered my questions.

What I saw was unbelievable. There were zombies ripping and eating flesh, skeletons that had a bows and arrows, weird looking green creatures with four legs and no arms, tall black weird looking figures with purple eyes and some sort of purple aura surrounding them.

"What the... fuck?" I whispered.

I guess I stayed in the open for too long, because before I knew it, three zombies were chasing me down.

_'Run run run!' _Foxtrot yelled.

Without hesitation I sprinted away into the alley across the street. "Where the hell did these things come from!?" I yelled while tipping near by trash cans and debris in their path hoping they would trip so I can get some distance away from them. And to my luck they didn't, they just jumped over them.

_'Gate up ahead!' _Foxtrot said.

I then looked ahead of me to see a locked gate... damn it. _'__Alright you have done this many times, don't slip up now' _I thought trying to concentrate. As I was nearing the gate I prepared myself for what I will have to perform.

_'Ok.. jump... Now!' _I thought as I jumped on a stone building with my right foot, then immediately used all my force to jump once more on my right giving me enough air to reach the top of the gate and climb over it. resulting me landing on the other side with a loud thud.

I grunted at the impact of hitting the ground. "That.. *gasp* was too close." I said exhausted. My thoughts were interrupted by pounding coming from the other side of the gate.

"You think they can break through that?" I asked.

_'I don't think I would like to stay and find out.' _Foxtrot calmly replied. _'Wait where do you think you're going?' _Foxtrot asked as I started walking.

_'You know where.'_ I thought as I started to get back on track.

"Alright where am I..." I silently said as I brought up my phone to check the maps. "Ok just a block away."_  
_

To my surprise Foxtrot did not respond, I guess he officially gave up on trying to convince me to go back.

As I rounded the block I saw the apartment building I half-smiled at the achievement of getting this far. As I walked towards the apartment lobby Foxtrot spoke.

_'Don't go in..' _Foxtrot said with a hint of depression.

_'What?' _I asked.

_'I'm sorry Niko, I really am.' _He said sympathetically

_'What are you talking about? The fuck is going on here?!' _I thought barging into the lobby and darting up to my mom's apartment.

_'You don't have to see her, just turn back now..' _He said with a final effort.

"Shut up!" I angrily yelled as I kicked the door open.

My mother was there, just not how I wanted to see her. Her body was laying on the ground motionless, she was shot with four arrows, her left arm bit, and the side of the room was blown up.

The sight made me grit my teeth in sadness and anger. "How.. long?" I barely said._  
_

_'Huh?'_

"How long did.. you know about this?" I said trying to fight back tears.

Foxtrot hesitated before saying, _'Since the start, when you were halfway to the city.'_

_'First my dad, and now my mother...' _I thought while looking outside the window at a supermarket.

_'Now what are you up to now?' _Foxtrot asked.

_'I'm going to survive this. Crying won't bring her back, I need to focus on the future.' _I thought still trying to stop the sadness from exposing itself.

_'You know I still remember when you were five or so, you really have grown up since that day. _Foxtrot exclaimed.

* * *

And with those last words I walked off and never looked back. Since this is survival now, people will do anything now even kill, I need to get better. And I think I know just the right guy to teach me.

**Well that was fun, anyway I decided to put in a quote from another video game, who ever finds it gets a cookie :P**

**And tell me if you think it's somewhat like minecraft (I'm kinda skeptical that it's not)**


	2. Chapter 2: Emergency protocol

**Chapter 2: Emergency Protocol**

***7/26/2017, 01:03:48 AM***

*Huff huff* I murmured while running.

_'Five yards away from destination... you see it?' _My A.I. asked me.

As I was running I looked up to see the local supermarket and with lots of people storming in and out of it. I have heard many people on the internet say that they would go to a Walmart or Target in case if events like this happened but THIS many? This is insane.

_'Yeah, I see it.' _I replied.

_'Alright, judging from this situation it's best if you take fifteen minutes got it?'_

_'Fifteen minutes?! Is it that bad?' _I thought.

_'Yes, yes it is. Get a move on Nikolai, I'll activate your Heads Up Display while your at it.'_

"Wait, wait that's not nesses- AGHHH FUU!" I screamed in pain as my eyes burned due to the sudden activation of my HUD. After a while my dark grey eyes slowly illuminated into a amber color, and the pain calming down a bit. Kinda weird, ever since I was a kid I used to feel nothing, but now it feels like sticking your head down a fire pit.

_'S-Sorry!, I forgot about that.' _Foxtrot stammered to apologize.

Ignoring Foxtrot I pushed my way through the hoards of people that were constantly coming out the store with shopping carts full of food and water. As I busted through the crowd I hurriedly got a cart and rushed towards the water aisle. Grabbing two eight packs of water bottles, I then pushed the cart towards the pharmacy at the far end of the store. As I was almost there I suddenly got hit on my left temple on my head, which caused me to be knocked on the ground. I tried to get back up and confront the person that hit me, but as soon as I started to pull myself up the man forcefully stomped on my chest.

"Sorry, but this cart is mine now. If you move you're dead." The man said as he nodded to another individual getting my cart. As soon as I regained my vision, I opened up my eyes to reveal who my attacker was. He did not look that intimidating but the thing that made me not move at all was the pistol that he was pointing in the middle of my eyes which I closed them shut as soon I looked into the barrel of the gun.

"Ok, don't shoot! Look there's more diplomatic ways we can settle this." I attempted to convince them, and bracing for a hit. But the sentence was followed by a short time of silence with both of the men above me looking at each other.

_'Well this escalated quickly, out of the frying pan and into the shit...' _I thought.

_'A complicated situation indeed. Wait do you know anything about disarming people?' _Foxtrot asked me.

_'Wait, what? I've only done three things in my life: games, work, and sleep. Where did this come from!?' _I replied.

_'Just convince him to get you up, from there grab his arm and ah.. I don't know that's on you. Good luck!' _Foxtrot said before the man that has his foot on my chest talked to me.

"Wallet and phone." He firmly said.

"W-What?" I stammered.

"Wallet and phone, or I will end you here and now!" The man retorted.

"Alright, alright but I will have to stand up for that." I replied.

"What?" He impatiently said.

"Y-Yeah, I'm pretty sure that none of us will want either of you to try to take it by yourselves. So.. let me do it." I quickly said.

The man looked again at his partner for confirmation of my request.

"Yeah he does have a point, I for one want to avoid looking stupid." The man's partner said.

As the guy's partner pulled me up he quickly retreated behind the man with the gun. As I put my hand in my pockets trying to look like I'm looking for my valuables I stared at the gun.

_'Alright that looks like a what, a 1911?' _I thought.

_'Don't know, could be a G18 for all we know.' _Foxtrot replied.

_'Nah, look at the architecture of it, can't be a Glock. It could be a Beretta though.' _I replied.

_'Wait, how do you even know all of this?'_ Foxtrot asked.

_'First Person Shooters... Where have you been when I played all those hours of battlefield?' _I asked only to be interrupted.

"Hurry up." The man demanded.

"I'm trying, asshole." I barked back. He then pulled back the hammer of his gun, trying to intimidate me.

"The fuck did you say?" He asked angrily.

Before I let him go any further I added, "What? Ending it so soon? Come on Biatch, you know you want to hit me... unless that's a line you're afraid to cross." I taunted.

As I got into his head he whipped his pistol at me yelling in anger, but as he did something weird happened. Instead of my HUD being orange, it faded into a cyan color, along with the man's voice slowly faded into nothing as I couldn't hear a thing, and to top everything off; everything was moving slowly. Then a ghost showed up that looked like... me? Not only that but there was another one from my attacker. As the man's ghost swung, my ghost quickly raised his arm to intercept his opponent's. Blocking the oncoming assault, my hologram or whatever then grabbed the barrel of the gun and used his other arm to twist the attackers arm and flipping him over and successfully disarming his foe, after that the holograms vanished in thin air.

Without thinking I readied my arm and repeated all the steps exactly how my hologram did, after once I flipped my opponent I quickly shot his charging partner once in the leg, I then turned around and shot the man I flipped over in both of his kneecaps to disable them resulting them to bleed and scream in pain along with the louder panicked screams of the crowds across the store due to the shots. After standing still for a short period of time I sighed to calm myself and lowered the gun. I looked down at the two men who were screaming in pain only to realize what I just did.

_'Oh shit... What have I done!?' _I thought.

_'Calm down Nikolai...' _Foxtrot calmly said.

_'Did you see that Foxtrot!? That was insane!'_

_'Hey, CALM down. That would be the adrenaline that's making you be like this.' _Foxtrot tried calming me down._  
_

_'God damn! What was that anyway?' _I asked.

'_Emergency Code: 04, 09, and 07. It's the event that saved your life.' _The A.I. explained.

_'Jeez... Wait why couldn't you do that when I was being beat up when I was a little kid? Or better yet; when they surprised me?'_ I asked.

_'***sigh***__I'm only instructed to do that when your life is TRULY in danger and It is best to do it when timed right.' _Foxtrot explained.

_'But that does not explain how everything was moving so slowly and all that other stuff.' _I said in thought.

_'Code: 04 lets me override your OS, making you have a reaction time of .05 milliseconds, everything was going on normally for everyone, but for you.. yeah. Code: 09 blocks all sound, I thought I would do this for the heck of it to help you pay attention. And there comes the well known Code: 07, The programmers were eager to take a look at this one, anyway this one allows you to see what will most likely happen and will show you how to defend yourself or to avoid it... And don't go thinking you can do this all the time. Protocol dictates the manual activation of this can be once a month with only three codes, got it?' _Foxtrot said.

_'Yeah... got it.' _I confirmed with disappointment.

_'Five more minutes.' _Foxtrot informed.

As I prepared to leave I couldn't help but look back at the two injured men behind me.

_'You're not thinking what I think you're thinking are you?' _Foxtrot asked.

_'Sorry but if I just leave them there, I'm no better than what they are, but still. No one deserves to die like this.' _I responded as I looked for bandages. As I found some I ripped the package open to find four rolls of cloth, then kneeled beside the former owner of the gun I took, then started to patch him up.

"What are you doing?" He asked hoarsely from blood loss.

"What does it look like?... I'm saving your life." I answered, avoiding his gaze.

"I... attacked you.. why?" He stopped right there. I looked back at him and no doubt he fell unconscious.

After I healed his partner I called for help for them, then ran out the store with all the supplies I could manage to get. I kept the gun of course, in case if one of those 'things' get too close.

_'Well you showed an awful amount of humanity back there.'_ Foxtrot said out of nowhere.

_'I just did what anyone else would of done.' _I replied, nearing my car, then opening the trunk and started to fill it with the supplies I managed to get.

_'That's what you always say when you do something nice.' _Foxtrot said.

_'I say that because it's true. Anyone can show kindness and mercy if they wanted to.' _I thought as I started the engine.

_'Hm.. maybe not everyone.'_ Foxtrot said as I drove towards the road that leads out of the city. _'So, where to next?'_

_'Home. Then I think I'll pay my uncle a visit.' _I thought.

After ten more minutes I eventually reached my neighborhood. And the first thing I saw was those monsters outside on the streets. As I got out, I quickly hid behind my car to avoid being spotted.

_'Damn it! Today never gets easier huh?' _I thought, checking the pistol magazine. Five bullets...

_'Suppose not, take a peek let's see how many there are.' _The A.I. ordered.

I then slowly peeked my head up to count two walking skeletons, one.. green thing in the middle of the barely lit street, and the biggest spider I've seen in my life on a roof of a house.

_'How is this even possible?! This has got to be some nightmare.' _I thought.

_'As much as I wish I could agree with that, this is not a dream.'_ Foxtrot said.

I inaudibly sighed and got into a crouching position.

_'Tell me when I could move.' _I instructed Foxtrot.

_'Right... now, go.'_

It was going alright at first, but of course being me I jinxed it by losing my balance and tripped halfway. At first I thought it was nothing, it was not until an arrow almost grazed my neck that made me wake up entirely.

_'Oh no, not today. Screw that!' _I thought as I broke into a run.

'Your right, watch it!' Foxtrot pointed out as another skeleton at a nearby porch of a neighbors house loaded an arrow and shooting me just above my knees and making me fall forward.

As the all too familiar roaring of pain shot through my body it was soon replaced by the feeling of rushing blood. As the skeleton used it's arm to reach in it's quiver on his back, I did not hesitate to bring out my firearm, turning off the safety and quickly aimed to the right of me pointing the gun at my possible killer only to pull the trigger and releasing a deafening bang and a 9mm bullet, giving it a bone crushing sound as it exploded through the skull.

"Man, those guys were not to be messed with." I said looking at the gun.

_'You know; There's still three other monsters to go right?' _Foxtrot reminded me.

"Right." I said getting back on track, I stood back up drawing my gun and checking my surroundings. That spider is still on the rooftop on the left of me but that's all I can see. There's nothing else around it's like the other two monsters disappeared.

_'Hm... oh well. I could use a break now.' _I thought as I rushed to my house.

As I rushed in I shut the door behind me, locking it and slowly dragging my back down to sit against it.

"Home sweet home." I sighed.

_'Aren't you forgetting something?...'_

"No. What do you mean? I have everything wi-" I stopped right there as I looked out the window towards my car... with all the supplies... now surrounded by zombies and skeletons all over the place now.

"God... DAMN IT!" I shouted in frustration.


	3. Bonus Chapter: Epsilon

**This back story applies to both of my stories.**

**Bonus Chapter: Epsilon**

"So doctor, how is the patient doing?" A man in a high class suit said looking at a boy in a hospital bed being treated by doctors.

"His condition at the moment is unknown. All we know is that the patient got into a car crash, reports tell us that he suffered a fractured skull with massive brain damage, even both of his eyes suffered damage due to broken glass so we will probably going to replace those, and probably memory loss as well." A woman with a doctor's coat said

"So why has the mother and father agreed to let us do something like this?" The man asked.

"The mother agreed instantly when we told her the chances of survival will slightly be improved, but I still have a bad feeling about this." the doctor said

"And the father?"

"Before he died of internal bleeding he said anything to let him live." The doctor answered. "Are you really doing this free for the family? Why?"

"We are doing this free because it has not been done before, anywhere actually. If this succeeds this young boy will have improved eyesight, reaction time, and intelligence, it won't be only beneficial to him but also our soldiers." He smiled.

"So this is what it's about huh? you're using this boy as a test rat." she scoffed at the man.

He then looked serious again. "You know I don't like this decision either you know, but once the high ranks were looking for people to test on, this innocent child came on the list suddenly and they thought they would try a certain type of A.I. on this kid." The man said.

"Types? you mean there's different variants of these computers?" The doctor asked confused.

"Yes indeed, the one we are installing in this kid's brain is called Epsilon, it's one of our newest ideas, a perfect version for this kid's problem, but it is a prototype so he may experience some 'problems' along the way." The man explained.

"What kind of problems?" The doctor asked curiously.

"We don't know, therefore we will keep close communications on the mother." The man said firmly.

"So what else can this computer do?"

Just as the doctor asked a surgeon opened the door into the observation room.

"Epsilon has been installed, all the boy needs now is some rest." The surgeon said. As he stepped out the room the doctor faced the man.

"I hope you know what you are doing." She said.

"I hope THEY know what the're doing, and as always, have a nice evening Doctor Brooks." The man said while walking out the door and shutting it behind him, leaving the doctor alone inside the room.

***A year later***

As Dr. Brooks and the anonymous man was standing in the observation room once again looking at the young boy laying on a hospital bed.

"So you made updates on this Epsilon?" Dr. Brooks asked

"Yes, we added another umm... well let's just say a co-computer."

"That meaning?" The doctor asked again.

"Well its sorta like this; Epsilon is the OS and the co-computer, known as Foxtrot, sends audible messages in his mind to help and guide him, hell technology today is advanced enough to give this Foxtrot a personality."

"A personality?"

"Yes, we did some research on the patient's personality and made it more sophisticated and intelligent. Sort of like his personality once he grows up.. probably."

Just then the little boy on the hospital bed started shifting slightly and turning his head. This made the doctor and the man shocked.

"He is awake already? I thought you said three more weeks." he exclaimed.

"I did, how has he woken up already?" The doctor asked amazed.

They looked at the boy slowly sitting up and rubbing his eyes before opening them

"Uh.. sir? how will you explain to the mother that you put a computer in the back of this child's head... and the fact that his irises are illuminating amber?" The doctor asked.

"Judging this he's probably making contact with Foxtrot, it will wear down momentarily." The man explained.

Soon after five minutes the boy's eyes slowly faded into a dark grey color. As Dr. Brooks and the man looked in awe, a surgeon walked into the observation room.

"The subject has been a success, but the increased intelligence and vision has failed but he does now have a very good reaction time." The surgeon briefed before walking out of the room once again.

"Well, at least he is alive." The doctor said.

"I guess, oh well that is the higher rank's problem, not mine. So... who will break the bad news." He said

"I think we will leave that to the mother." Dr. Brooks responded as she was preparing to leave.

"Alright, but I hope this young man can fit into society with that." The man said while leaving the room.

Just as the doctor can leave she looked one more time at the patient. "Yeah.. good luck." she said while shutting the door behind her.


	4. Chapter 3: A Small Reunion

**Hey guys sorry for the long wait, with my first year in high school and entering the JROTC Drill Team and my laziness, you can expect more waits like this sorry.**

**Chapter 3: A Small Reunion**

**7/26/2017, 08:06:44 PM**

**"The number of confirmed deaths has passed 450,000 worldwide. The death of the current president of the United States and the queen of England, leaves both governments and parliaments clueless of future plans of action. In other news-"**

***Short static sound***

**"Panic spread worldwide as this unknown infestation of 'alien species' spread with the biggest attacks in New York, London, and Moscow. This is what witne-" **

***Static***

**"Riots build up in Chicago as officials declare marshal la-"**

***Static***

**"The list stacks up on how many states are overrun with this new threat, the newest are: California, New York, Texas, an- ."**

The TV then turned off on its own.

"What the?"

I began repeatedly pressing the power button on the remote. Realizing that nothing would work I threw the rectangular object aside.

_'So... what do we do now?'_

_'I told you before, I'm going to make a visit.' _I responded.

I then stood up to try the radio. After I repeatedly pressed the power button I realized what's going on.

"Power is out." I sighed as I let myself fallback on my queen sized bed.

"You know this kinda reminds me of something." I said nonchalantly.

_'About that fanfiction?' _Foxtrot asked.

"What? No. I was talking about a TV show... but now that I think of it."

_'So about that visit...' _Foxtrot said, putting me back on track.

"Oh. Right.." I said as I pulled myself up from my bed and change out of my uniform and into my usual style. As soon as I wrapped my shemagh around my neck into a scarf I made my way down to the kitchen to make myself breakfast, as I ate my breakfast Foxtrot decided to make a conversation... or at least tried to.

_'So do you really believe that our president is dead?' _Foxtrot asked.

_'Yes. I mean: he IS confirmed dead.' _I replied.

_'That's not what I me-... Never mind.'_

As soon as I finished eating I took a knife from the nearby knife block.

_'What's that for?'_

"Yeah, having the same thing from yesterday happen again? No thanks." I responded as I looked outside the window to make sure no monsters are around.

Seems like there's nothi- wait. Why are the're zombies and skeletons burning in broad daylight?

_'That... doesn't make any sense.' _Foxtrot exclaimed.

"Tell me about it." I said as I swung the door open and felt the brightness and warmth of the sun on my body.

"Alright..." I pulled the hammer back on my firearm and readied my knife. "Let's go.."

I followed my same posture as yesterday, making sure to check my surroundings and having my weapon up and ready just in case. Soon, I eventually reached my car.

_'So how long is the trip again?' _Foxtrot asked.

_'At least thirty to forty minutes. He lives in the outskirts of San Antonio you know, an isolated area.' _I answered.

_'And how exactly can he help us?'_

_'I'm hoping he can teach me a little more about survival and also maybe he can teach me how to shoot a pistol.' _I thought as I entered the Dodge Challenger.

_'Oh, you're talking about John right? Your mother's brother?'_

_'Yes.'_ I confirmed while turning on the car and making the engine roar as I drove towards the highways.

Although John was my uncle he was also the man that taught me how to hold a rifle when I was twelve years old. And not other than that; he gave me the shemagh I still wear today and also is a retired soldier in the marine corps.

_'But wait. You haven't visited him since you were barely thirteen, what would we do if he doesn't recognize you?'_

As ridiculous as it sounded coming from Foxtrot I realized he was right in a way. The way I've grown and how my features changed since I was twelve has been pretty crazy. But then again all I need to do is take off my cap.

_'I'm pretty sure he will recognize me.' _I thought.

Halfway through I managed to see San Antonio on my left. The sight shocked me of how many skyscrapers were knocked down compared to yesterday and black smoke in the sky erupting from other burning buildings along with the fact that there are no law enforcement around. Come to think about it I'm the only person on the road right now, the only objects that're ahead are abandoned vehicles.

_'I guess most people are still in the city. Scavenging more likely unless there's law enforcement around.' _Foxtrot firmly said.

_'Let's be honest, at this rate there will be no law enforcement around.'_ I thought. Now all I was doing was watching the distant burning city while driving. Soon after I couldn't see the city anymore I paid full attention on the road. Nearing my destination I heard distant gunshots. As I stepped out of my car and opened the gate that led to a house, I then walked to the house while having my hands in the air showing that I'm friendly in case if he was looking towards my way.

As I stepped on the porch of the house I knocked on the door. "Yo, Los Pollos delivery." I sarcastically said.

The door slowly opened to reveal a man in his probably late thirty's with grey eyes like mine and with light brown hair while wearing a white T-shirt along with blue jeans.

"Who are you?" He asked.

Well... maybe I HAVE changed that much.

"Wow, you don't remember your own nephew?" I asked.

"Ha. Sorry but you are not Nik-" I interrupted him by turning around and taking off my cap pointing at the small lit up A.I. unit.

"As you were saying?" I asked nonchalantly turning back at the man.

"Nikolai!?" He sounded surprised.

"It's good to see you too." I responded.

"Wha- how?"

"I've seen some shit along the way but yeah, I've managed." I answered his question.

Just then a feminine voice can be heard from inside the house.

"John? John who is at the door?" A woman then walked out. She looked like the same age as John with long brown hair and eyes, she was wearing a navy blue shirt and with black shorts.

"Oh ah.. Jen, this is my nephew Nikolai. Nikolai, this is my wife Jen, your aunt." John introduced us to each other and we shook hands.

Now that I think of it I have heard John getting married from my mom, but I didn't go to the wedding because of... Reasons.

_'Yeah, I bet one of those reasons was your laziness.' _Foxtrot remarked.

_'Shut. Up...' _I thought.

"Um.. Jen? Can Nikolai and I have a moment please?" John asked.

"Oh sure." Jen said then inaudibly added, "It's not like I wanted to know more about my nephew or anything." She then stepped back in the house leaving me and John alone on the porch.

"Thank god you're safe, It's been so long. Once I heard on the news of what happened I did not know what to think of this. So... what brings you here?" John asked.

"Well for starters ah.. I was hoping you could teach me how to fire a pistol and teach me a thing or two about survival." I answered.

"A pistol? Since when did you have a pistol?" He asked.

"Since yesterday." I firmly said while raising the firearm to show it only to be snatched by John.

"Whoa! where did you get THIS?!" He said while examining the pistol.

"Some guy tried to rob me... I don't think I need to go into detail."

"Do you have any idea how rare this is?" John asked.

"Eh.. What?" I said with my curiosity being piqued at the word rare.

"Well sir, you have stumbled across a Hi Powered L9A1 Browning and by the looks of it: It's an original." He then asked while passing the pistol back at me, "I don't suppose your willing to trade that are you?" He asked hopefully.

"Not really.. I mean; it's my only defense besides this." I said while holding up the kitchen knife.

"A kitchen knife really? You never considered getting a survival knife or a... never mind."

Slightly annoyed I said, "Well I'm sorry Captain Yeager, unlike you I never had military training." I then smiled mischievously and added, "Besides, I bet you wouldn't mind giving me a new military knife and a rifle since you have THAT many in your inventory." I joked.

It may not seem like it but it was true, John showed it to me before when I was twelve and I'm actually curious how many he added over the years.

"Alright. I'll give one of each to you for that pistol." The man smugly said.

I stood there for a moment of silence before regaining my senses. "Heh. Nice joke. You almost had me the-"

"Not kidding. Come on in!" John then tugged my arm and dragged me into the house not waiting for an answer. He then sat me on a couch in the living room before talking business. "Alright, name your price and I will tell you if we have a deal."

"W-wait what? You know I was kidding right?" I stuttered.

"Come on. There is gotta be something you'll want." He urged me on.

Just by his excitement made me smile a little. _'Alright. Let's put that to the test.' _I thought. I remember a gun, one which he wouldn't let me be ten feet from.

"Your M82." I said with a challenging edge in my voice.

"Ah.. um.. well... God damn it." John said with a drop from his head in defeat.

"Thought so." I smiled.

"Hm. Tell you what: I'll give you a XM2010 for that." The man bartered. **(Real rifle, search it up to see what it looks like.)****  
**

I stopped for a second, a XM2010? Never heard of that. "A what?" I asked.

"It's a sniper rifle of course. But it has its pros and cons"

"Like?" I once more asked.

"Alright, let me show you then." John said, taking my arm again and leading me down towards the stairs to the basement. This is awesome but there's still something bothering me about this.

"So wait a sec, you mean to tell me that you will give me a sniper rifle for a handgun?"

"Well... that's not really the entire reason I mean: we're family, we take care of one another right?"

I said nothing, I only looked at him. I haven't did anything that much family related ever since I went to college and got a job.

"Uh.. yeah, right."

With a short period of clanking of metal, John eventually found what he was looking for. The gun that he pulled out had a somewhat small frame along with a ECI inserted along with a scope, a bipod, a sling, and a black hexagon camo finish.

"Alright, what do you think?" The former marine asked as he dropped the rifle in my arms. I expected for it to be heavy but surprisingly I found it light. "It's mostly made out of matte carbon which is one of the plus sides. But it's a semi-decommissioned-ish rifle, like right here the magazine placement is blocked off but I did manage to get the bolt working so it can take one bullet at a time. Also with it's foldable stock you can expect to move more fluidly."

"Wait, one bullet at a time? I don't suppose you have anything to make that easier do you?" I asked hoping for a good answer.

"Not really, but... catch." He threw something at me and I barely caught it with my one free hand. "That is a wrist ammo pouch, it should make it somewhat more manageable, better than carrying bullets in your hand." I examined it to the point where I know where to slide the bullets in, I counted four slots. "Just make sure you put it on your left arm and adjust it to where the slots are facing upwards." He then picked up a rolled up cloth and put it on a table and unrolled it to reveal its contents: knifes. John then started to give me details on each one. "Of course, you will need some type of back up weapon in case you get into a tight situation, right here is the MTech blade (Aka the knife from halo 4) a six inch blade that is light and versatile so you could use it to cut a branch or what ever the hell you want to do with it, it will always be useful." John then sat the knife down and moved on. "Then we have the Kalashnikov Boker Plus, this fixed blade is about eight inches and excels in combat." He then pulled out the last one which had a full jagged side and a wrapped handle "Or you can have a modified classic, the Bowie Knife as you can see this is mostly made for survival and not really combat but hey, it does look intimidating."

Well, they all look badass but I think I'll take the all-around knife. "I guess the MTech." I firmly said.

"Alright." Said John as he got a nylon sheath attached to straps. "You will strap that onto your leg of your choice when you go scavenging or just when you're outdoors okay?"

I gave a nod then noticed a piece of equipment on top of the scope that kind of looked like a small screen.

"Wait, what's this?" I pointed at the small screen on the scope.

"Hm? Oh. That's a Ballistic CPU it measures range, temperature, and barometric pressure."

"Really? Oh wait... it doesn't work" I say as I look at the screen saying something about needing hardware installation, and shortly after the screen fizzled out and leaving the small screen blank along with the entire basement.

"A blackout?" Said John.

"Here too?" I asked while trying to adjust my eyes to the now dark room. A minute later I tripped on something and fell with a thud.

"Hey, are you alright?" Asked John.

"Yeah, yeah just got to check my surroundings." I answered.

I tripped again.

_'Foxtrot, a little help here?' _I thought.

No response.

_'Hey come on, do something that could help me out here.'_

Still no response.

Soon my confusion was replaced by fear and concern.

"John, I'm going to take my cap off tell me if my A.I. core is still glowing okay?" I said as I took my hat off. "You see it?"

"Yeah, It's still on Niko." John's voice said. "Why? Is there something wrong with it?"

I paused for a moment. "It's nothing, don't worry about it." I said reassuringly, _'Well if it's on I guess I'm fine but... I don't know if this could be more serious than I think it is.'_

The sound of a door opening and the sight of a little sunlight made me jump back into reality.

"Found the stairs, come on, bring everything too."

"Yeah, okay." I quickly got everything together and slowly made my way towards John. As we returned to the living room I sat on a nearby couch and heard sizzling from a nearby stove and picked up a unmistakable scent of meat and beans.

"Hm? Oh, there you two are. I was wondering what was happening down there until the power turned off, are you two alright?" A familiar feminine voice said.

"Yeah we're good, what time is it?" I asked.

"Almost eight I think, the sun is going down." Answered Jen as she looked out the window.

"I guess it's time to go." I walked towards the door.

"Wait, you can stay here if you want. Listen those... what ever they are mostly come out at night, so going out there is not really the most smartest idea. At least here it's more safer." Said John.

_'Well he got's a point, not sure what would happen myself either.' _"Um.. yeah I guess I could." I decided.

After eating dinner Jen and John showed me to the guest room which was on the second floor while lighting candles to light the house, after putting everything aside on a table I heard John's voice behind me suddenly asked something I did not want to answer.

"You know I've been wondering, ah.. Niko? Where's your mother at? Is she safe?"

Silence filled the room.

_'Shit...'_

"She is.. She's." I was hesitating. _'Damn it Niko! Just say it!' _I screamed in my mind and small tears started to develop. And not once at this moment have I turned around.

"Niko.. are you okay?" Jen asked.

I slowly turned around, looking at the carpeted floor. "She is... d-dead John.. y-you're sister is dead I'm sorry." I then looked up to see Jen's stunned face and John... I can't read it.

"John." Jen said while trying to comfort him.

"Uh.. yeah, goodnight Nikolai." John's voice could barely be heard as he slowly left the room with Jen leaving me alone.

I slowly crawled in the bed and banged my head against the pillow. This is what I wanted to avoid, but I guess it's for the greater good to just get it out of the way early. I thought about all the things that happened lately before falling asleep.

* * *

I found myself outside laying on grass, I tried to regain my senses until I noticed one thing: Almost every thing was made out of cubes, even the sun and clouds were cubic. "What the hell?" I hoarsely said, standing back up I looked around to this strange environment. "Where am I?" I said. The weather then dramatically changed with wind roaring in my ears then fog was everywhere, I heard footsteps behind me. I spun around to see who but there was no one there, I then looked back to see my mother's dead corpse just as I saw in her apartment. I fell back with a yelp, now fear was seeping in. A figure was starting to appear amid the fog, the figure was a human, a man with brown hair and glowing white eyes while wearing a slightly torn blue shirt and blue-purple jeans with boots. The man then slowly approached me.

"Hmph, what a pest she was am I right?" The man said.

"...What?" I said with a angry edge to my voice.

"You humans could be so annoying too, and with the way all of you have been treating my minions? Heh, I'm sure it's best for all of you to be wiped out."

"Minions? What are you talking about?"

"Well, you see: I've sent out my followers from this world to yours, a lot of them were so excited to come but since you humans decided to attack them, I then decided that your race is unneeded, your world will soon be ours for the taking. But get this: some of my minions actually still want to coexist with you people, can you believe that? Oh well, might as well kill those traitors as well."

"Huh? Who do you think you are?"

"Who am I? I am the god of the nether, fate has called for your race's extinction and I am it's instrument, just as you see here." The man pushed my mother's corpse slightly towards me with his boot. "There will be much more to come, I can promise you that."

The man then took out a light blue sword and rested the tip of it on my chest.

"With every loss you WILL remember me, and you will fear me to the day I'll kill you myself for my name is Herobrine."

The white eyed man then stabbed his weapon into my chest.

* * *

I then jolted from my dream only to find myself back in reality, I looked outside to see that the sun was barely coming up, then suddenly I recalled everything that happened in that 'Dream.'

"Great... I don't even know what to believe in anymore." I groaned as I looked up at the ceiling.

* * *

**Well there it is: my longest chapter I wrote with it going through the 2,000 word barrier. Anyway please leave some suggestions on how I could write better. Other than that I hope you enjoyed.**


	5. Chapter 4: Contact

** Sorry about the whole paragraph thing, I wanted to try something new until one of my friends pointed out that I was doing it wrong. Nonetheless on future chapters I will continue my usual spacing just like the other chapters.**

**Chapter 4: Contact**

**7/27/2017, 5:24:12 AM**

I yawned from exhaustion before getting up and checking the time. "Five in the morning? Jeez talk about a nightmare." I groggily said while looking out the window and rubbing my eyes. The sky still had a slightly dark shade but enough to where you can see everything along with the Forrest practically surrounding the house. "Well, might as well take a walk." I gathered everything John gave me yesterday and started to gear up, after strapping the drop-leg knife holster and inserting four silver .300 Magnum rounds into the slots in the wrist pouch I climbed downstairs and opened the door, this time instead of warmth I felt cool wind and chills against my body. I then folded the stock of my rifle and scanned the environment around me to make sure nothing was in sight before settling down and wrapping my arm around the sling of the rifle to carry it on my shoulder.

As I was walking casually around the forest I took the time to recall my dream. _'I just don't understand, even if it was real along with that explanation and that man, why me? Out of all people in this world why would he contact me? Oh yeah and what the hell is the Nether? is that supposed to be some kind of hell or heaven in his world?' _The more I thought about it the less I actually believed it, but some how that sentence was still stuck in my head, _"With every loss you WILL remember me, and you will fear me to the day I'll kill you myself for my name is Herobrine." _Before giving more thought I sat down against a nearby tree. _'Herobrine huh? The god of the Nether.' _I sighed. I guess this is another one of the few reasons why I would want a notebook made from the gods of death, it would make something like this a lot easier. I looked up at the sky to see that it was brighter now, I checked my watch as the small hologram came out that displayed 0626. _'0626... that's like.. 6:26 right? eh.. either way I really got to go ba-'_ My thoughts were Interrupted when I heard a crackling sound._  
_

"Hm? Is someone out there?" I asked, no response. I stood up to slowly back away while trying to pinpoint where the sound came from. I then walked away but not to the house for obvious reasons. as I moved about fifty meters away from the location I was currently at I then heard rustling leaves. At this point I slowly reached for one of the four bullets on my pouch and inserted it into the chamber of the XM2010. I decided to give this one more try, I walked about the same distance and pretended I was just looking at the many trees around me when I heard faint footsteps behind me, I turned around once more only this time I knew where this thing was hiding. _'Gotcha.' _I thought as I raised up the gun and aimed to the upper part of a tree for a warning shot, as I pulled the trigger the rifle released a much more loud bang and recoil compared to the pistol I formerly had, but this caliber was able to rip through the upper part of the tree. Apart from the tree falling I heard a small eep. Instead of walking towards where I shot, I then re-cocked the bolt and inserted another round. "Come out with your hands up." I firmly ordered.

I expected it to be some kind of monster but instead a girl about my age stiffly walked in my view, she was wearing a green hoodie with a face on the hood that kind of looked familiar, brown gloves, green stockings but no shoes, though it did not seem she did not have any shorts.. or skirt... I then saw her face, she had gold-orange hair along with amber eyes and a pale face. "State your name." I ordered. "C-C-Cupa..." The girl stuttered, obviously terrified. I then slowly lowered my rifle, she didn't seem to be armed but still, that does not change the fact she was stalking me, I sighed before swinging the sniper rifle around my shoulder and walking off. "W-Wait, y-you're not going to attack me?" Said Cupa as she lowered her arms slowly. I stopped for a moment. "No. Why would I? Hurting innocent girls is not really in my nature." I said, again walking off. At least ten minutes came by and this girl was still following me, I stopped, she stopped, I then faced her. "Is there a reason on why you're following me? Especially since I nearly blew your head off?" I asked. "Um.. well..." The girl was searching for the right words. "I mean: don't you have any relatives to go back to? I'm sure their looking for you." I added. "No.. it's just me out here so..." She looked away as if I knew the rest of the story. I sighed, "Okay fine, just follow me, there's a house not that far."

As soon we made it to the porch I knocked on the door, almost immediately it swung open and made Cupa jump. "Oh, hey John Niko is over here!" A certain brunette yelled upstairs. "Ah.. sorry to worry you two." I apologized. Soon John came down, "My god, where were yo-" The man stopped when he saw the girl behind me. "Who's this?" He pointed at Cupa. "I... she was lost." I answered. "Um.. nice to meet you mister..." She extended her hand while waiting for a name. "John.. John Yeager." Said John as he took Cupa's hand and shook it. Cupa then extended her hand to Jen, "I'm Jen Yeager." Said Jen. Soon after introductions were done we all sat in the living room. "So wait, how did you two encounter each other?" Jen asked. "Well we did not meet with the best impressions of each other." I replied. "How so?" John asked curiously. I looked at Cupa and gave her a 'okay, it's your turn now' look, and with that she spoke. "Well ah.. I was going to talk to him but as soon as I got close he shot a tree which I was behind of and asked me simple questions." Said Cupa, which made me choke on my glass of water slightly. _'Damn! Way to put it gently!' _I thought, I then looked at both faces of Jen and John which stared at me. "I-I did not know it was her I swear!" I said.

John cleared his throat. "Well in other news, I think it's time for your training." John firmly said. "Huh? Now?" I asked. "Yep, follow me. Jen, I'm sure you can give our guest some company too." Once Jen nodded John led me to the basement once more, this time bringing lanterns. "So I'm guessing your aware that as long as it's battery powered it works?" I asked. "Yep. Found out this morning, what were you doing out there anyway?" John then asked me. "I don't know, wondering around I guess." I answered. As we made our way to the spot where we were yesterday, John instructed me to put everything I had on the table. "Well, since that event between you two happened I'm going to put these in storage for a while until you learn some trigger discipline." Said John as he took away the sniper and the ammo pouch and stored it in a hard case. "You know, I don't think this is necessar-" I then got interrupted, "You nearly killed a girl Nikolai." Said John as he was searching around the room. "It was a warning shot." I inaudibly said. "What was that?" John asked. "Nothing." I responded as I knew protesting would only earn myself a very long lecture.

"Alright, here you go." John said as he tossed what looked like a M4 SOPMOD. It was light, too light. "This... is an airsoft gun isn't it?" I asked the marine. "Yep." John confirmed while getting another one for himself. "Alright show me how you usually hold a weapon." John instructed, I then held the carbine like I did with the sniper. "Ah ha, right here." John lifted my right finger off the trigger and moved it. "Never put your finger on the trigger until you have your target in sight got it?" I nodded my head in confirmation. "Next is aiming, go ahead." He motioned me to go. I then aimed down the sights. "Rest your cheek on the stock and keep your right eye aligned with the sight..., and for god's sake, keep that stock against your shoulder!" The marine barked and I adjusted immediately. Ok fair enough, maybe I DO need more training. "Standing form, go." Ordered John. I quickly snapped to the form. John then inspected me for a while before speaking. "...Aim." I pushed the gun up and aligned my eyes to the sight. After repeating the process over an hour or two John decided to give a break, "Alright that's enough for now, come back here after twenty minutes, got it?" John asked. "Yes, sir." I firmly said as I marched up the stairs.

As I reached my room I let myself lay on the bed. _'Alright, twenty minutes and there's nothing to do... wait a minute.' _I then dug my hand into my pocket to bring out my phone and turning it on, 41% battery. "Well, better make this count." I said as I searched through my other pocket to find Bose Freestyle ear buds, after adjusting the equalizer to get the most bass out of it I then decided to chose a song (Double Dutch - RDGLDGRN) and bring up the news to see three recent headlines.

* * *

*** The number of confirmed deaths has passed five-hundred thousand. And as of right now all of the states have called a state of emergency.**

*** Witnesses confirm that small militia groups have been formed in western US along with the notorious group of them all that identify's themselves as: "The Fireflies" which at the moment are negotiating with the Armed Forces for support to reclaim our land.  
**

*** Meanwhile the United Armed Forces are deciding to attempt to help the survivors in the western US by sending care packages to random locations monthly with different contents depending on the flare color**

**\- A red flare would mean a package filled with medical supplies**

**\- A blue flare signifies a package filled with gallons of water and MRE meals**

**-whereas a black flare indicates survival supplies such as backpacks, jackets, portable battery packs, etc.**

** if you're in the following states: Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, and Arizona, be sure to keep a watch as there will be less frequent packages delivered in your area."**

* * *

_'Less __frequent.. great, just freaking great, ah well I guess I shouldn't be too disappointed, at least they still acknowledged the fact that there's still survivors.' _My thoughts were interrupted when something poked me on my side.

I looked to my right to see Cupa standing there, "yea- wait, hold on." I then took off my headphones, "Yeah?" I asked. "I said that Jen told me to come up here so we can get to know each other. What are these anyway?" Cupa curiously asked while feeling the cord attached to the ear buds and looked at my phone. "There headphones... have you never seen some before?" The girl just shook her head. "No I haven't. How do they work?" Asked Cupa who was still playing around with the wire. _'Is this some joke? She does not know what headphones are? Or phones?' _Hesitating, I spoke up. "Just put this in your left ear." I answered. "Like this?" Asked Cupa. "Yeah, hold on." I replied as I searched for a song that she would like, I then came across one (All This Could Be Yours - Cold War Kids) "Alright how's this?" I asked as I pressed play. Cupa's expression quickly changed into a confused expression but slowly formed into a relaxed form as the song played. "Well, I guess I can see you like indie music." I said. "This is amazing!" Cupa smiled, "do you have more like this?" Cupa eagerly asked. "Yeah there's plenty of songs out there but can I ask you a question first?" I asked. "Yeah, shoot." Cupa replied. "So you're telling me you didn't know what music was? Or even a phone?" I asked. "A phone? I'm assuming you're talking about this?" She pointed at the rectangular device and I simply nodded. "But yeah, I had no idea what it was until you showed me." The girl simply answered. "Um.. can I ask you a question now?" The girl asked. "Hm? And that would be?" I replied. "It's just that you seemed frustrated a while ago when I walked in. Is there something wrong?" Cupa asked.

I tossed her the phone, "yes, look at that." I answered. As Cupa looked at the three headlines she spoke up. "What... does this mean?" She asked. "It means if we don't get our shit together we're screwed." I simply answered. Cupa just looked around the room as if she was distracted by something, then again she's been like this ever since we met this morning. "Is.. there something wrong?" I asked curiously. "Huh? No no. Nothing's wrong." She continued looking around. "Really? because you have been looking around a lot." I said. "It's just that I'm not used to this environment." She hesitantly replied which made me even more curious. "How so?" I continued the bombardment of questions. "I-It's just that I'm used to see everything so blocky, while here there's so many different... shapes." I stood frozen for a few seconds. "Blocky... things like what? Grass? Trees?.. Clouds?" I asked. "Yes, almost exactly like that!" Cupa answered astonished. I turned my head away for a few seconds._ 'Nope, no, impossible, I refuse to accept that THAT dream was real.' _I continuously thought. "Um, Niko? Are you okay?" A concerned Cupa asked. I turned back "Yeah don't mind me." I simply answered then stood up to see my twenty minutes were up. "Oh, got to go, I'll see you later okay?" I said as I turned the knob. "Yeah okay." Cupa responded as I left the room.

"Hey! I'm... here?" I said while looking around the basement. "You're late." An all too familiar voice stated, I looked around to see John loading magazines with bullets. "Alright so... what now?" I asked. "What now is that I'm going to give you a lesson about first aid." John responded. "Huh? I thought you were teaching me trigger discipline." I said. "Yeah but I just remembered that you asked for survival training too when you got here. At least like this you could be learning much more faster." John stated. "Okay... so what first?" I asked. "Since you were in NJROTC I'm assuming that they taught you the common sense about the basic stuff so I guess now is the time to learn about blood control." John answered. "Blood control... what?" I asked. "There are three types of bleeding: Arterial, Venous, and Capillary." The marine continued.

**6:30:07 PM**

About an hour or so in the lesson John called it a day. "Alright." John said while stacking pistols in cabinets. "That's enough, we continue tomorrow." He stated. We both walked upstairs to find the house illuminated with lanterns Jen cooking and Cupa sitting at the dining table. "Oh, hey what's for dinner?" John asked kissing Jen on the cheek. "Nothing much. Just burgers... probably the last meal like this for a while." Jen replied looking down at the sizzling pan. "Hm? What do you mean?" John asked as he cocked his eyebrow. "It means we're nearly out of food, probably two weeks if rationed." I stated as I looked through the cabinets which at least contained seven cans of food. "I might have a little more in my car but as of right now this could be a problem." I said. "Well in the meantime let's eat up." Jen clapped her hands as she brought four servings to the table. "Thank you for the food." Cupa said cheerfully. As soon as everyone got settled in we started conversations. "So Cupa." John began. "Where were you when this whole mess started? Are you out of town?"John asked. "I guess you can say that." Cupa said while taking a bite from her burger. "Really? where?" John once again asked. "Oh you know... I'm from ahh..." At this point I could see that she was totally confused. "She's from Pennsylvania." I answered the first thing that popped in my mind. _'Idiot! do you know how far that is!?' _I slapped myself mentally and tried to go along with it. "Yeah, she came here because of... college opportunities. Isn't that right Cupa?" I said. "Y-Yes that's pretty much why I'm here." Cupa stuttered. Jen and John stared at both of us for a second before shrugging their suspicion away.

Before they could ask more questions I decided to bring them up on the news. "So I read the news a while ago." I announced, the married couple then looked at me curiously. "Any good news?" Jen asked. "I guess good, bad, and good..ish? I don't know you tell me how does a militia with possible help from the Armed Forces sound?" I asked. "That's.. amazing!" Jen said with hope. "So... other than that do you want the good or the bad?" I asked. "I'll take the bad news." John answered. "Well at least five hundred thousand people have died so far within the last three days." The bright look on Jen's face darkened a little. "Oh..." Was all she can say. "And the good news?" Asked Cupa. "Well they're releasing care packages with food, water, and supplies but there is a catch... well for us and all the people around Texas and surrounding states." I said. "That would be?" Cupa once again asked. "Less frequent drops." I firmly said. Drinking the last drop of water in my glass I stood up. "Well, I'm going to sleep." I announced. "Hm? Isn't it too early? It's 7:00" John stated. "Of course." I said. "Gotta get some energy for the scavenging run tomorrow." I firmly said as I headed for the stairs. "Wait scavenging run? Hey Nikolai wait!" John said while following me upstairs. "Nope. I'm doing this whenever you like it or not." I declared. "Alone? Come on it's suicide!" John continued. "Yeah, last time I heard that it got someone killed." I said and added. "Besides I can handle myself." And with that I entered the guest room and closed the door behind me and laid on the bed.

"All right... I have a busy week ahead of me" I quietly said as I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Nikolai." I heard a distant faint voice. "Nikolai, wake up." The voice said once more. "Come on wake the fuck up!" I then felt a hard slap on my left cheek. I instantly opened my eyes to find myself standing. "Where the hell am-" I cut myself off to hear a small splash. It was not until I looked down at my feet to see that I was standing on water. "Definitely a dream." I told myself, "there is just no way..." After a moment I heard a clear sort of deep voice behind me. "A dream? Eh... I wouldn't really call it that." I spun around to see a man, surely not Herobrine thank god but someone else, a bearded man who wore a brown shirt, jeans, and had a fedora. "Then what would you call it?" I asked while studying him. "I'd say a special sort of communication." The man replied while walking around me. "A sort where one requires a special kind of mind." The man answered. "But... Nikolai C. Miles.. you're not what I expected." The man concluded. "And who are you?" I asked. "Markus..." The man said. "Markus Persson, but you can call me Notch." I took the moment to look around my surroundings as there was fog everywhere with little to nothing in sight.

"So... Notch are you Herobrine's messenger or something? I pretty much got the message when he stabbed me in my chest last time." I said. "Nope nothing close." Notch replied. "If anything he needs to be stopped." Notch said. "And this has to do with me how?" I asked. "Not only do you have the mentality to maintain communication to this world but your determination to survive and fight could bring a huge weight on Herobrine especially what's under that cap." Notch said. "But you won't do it alone, you must meet five more people and work with them to push Herobrine's minions back." I took a step back when he said five more people. "Five? Sorry 'teamwork' is not my best suit." I stated. "I wouldn't be surprised, I know your past says otherwise but you _have_ to do this, if not more and more deaths will follow." With that Notch looked behind him as if something was calling him. "I'm needed." He said. "Before I go I gotta give you this, ready yourself." Notch said. "What? ready myself for wh-" I yelled in pain as Notch strongly held my arm, it felt as if my right arm was on fire from shoulder to my hand. As he finished he let go. But as he did my body broke through the water I was standing on and I started sinking. _'One more thing Nikolai.'_ Notch's voice said. _'The first step to start a resistance against Herobrine is to follow the light.' _Notch concluded leaving me alone. I sunk emotionless before I closed my eyes.

* * *

"Gah!" I yelled before noticing I was back in the real world. I then removed part of the blanket that covered my right arm. I expected nothing but I was speechless to see that my arm was marked with what seemed like circuit board lines running down through my arm and seemed to stop at my hand on the top, and not other than that, it was softly illuminating orange with small pulses of light travelling down the lines.


	6. Chapter 5: Scavenging Run

**Chapter 5: Scavenging Run**

**7/28/2017, 6:02:48 AM**

"Ohh no..." I stood up from bed. "How the hell am I going to explain _this_?" I asked while walking back and fourth around the room. Soon my eyes turned towards my shemagh. I then took the fabric and tried my best to tie it around my right arm, it was not the best... but it'll do. I stepped out the guest room door and lightly stepped downstairs, I was nearly towards the door until I heard a yawn and a drowsy feminine voice.

"Hm? Niko? Where are you going?" It said.

I looked behind me to see Cupa on the couch, as she noticed it was me she grew more alert and shoved me away from the door and blocked it. "Where do you you're going?" Cupa glared at me with suspicion.

"Out?" I simply said with a straight face.

"And where would 'out' be?" Cupa asked once again with her body shifting slightly to my every movement. It took me awhile to process the current situation.

"What is all this about exactly?" I asked confused.

"John and Jen told me to make sure you're here when they wake up and instructed me to keep you from leaving." Cupa answered.

I let my left hand gently hit my face. _'John... that stubborn-' _I then took a step forward. "Well I don't care if your the most intimidating person alive." I stated, "I'm walking out that door." I declared as I walked forward. Cupa tensed up and an unsure look covered her face, as soon as I started to gently push her out of the way she tackled me with unexpected force. And before I knew it, Cupa was on top of me and holding down my arms.

"S-Sorry can't let you." She stammered.

"The hell?" I said, struggling to get this girl off of me. But as soon as I was making progress Cupa unintentionally took part of the shemagh on my right arm off, revealing what I tried to hide.

"What.. is that? Cupa asked. I quickly covered it up.

"No idea." I answered. After a moment of struggling I manged to get Cupa off of me. "I don't know what they told you but if I don't get out there we'll run out of supplies." I said.

"No, you're not going anywhere... without me." Cupa replied.

"Oh now that's a definite hell no." I said. "Last thing I need is collateral damage, besides I work better when I'm alone."

"Really? what if you get hurt? huh?" Cupa said.

"I know first aid." I answered. "I can treat myself." Debate after debate I could see that she was stalling, with that I gently pushed my way out of the house.

"I know you're just concerned about my safety, and I appreciate that I do. But standing and doing nothing will just come back and bite us later, if John won't take the risk I will. I'll be back at noon or a bit later I promise." I irritably said as I started my car's engine and drove off leaving a speechless girl behind.

**6:41:02**

After seeing the city not too far away I parked the Challenger and stepped out. First thing I'll need to find is a gun store since I did not bring one then after that I'll look for a grocery store then I'll be done, simple as that. From this point on I resumed in a crouched position working my way towards the shopping district. As soon as I was nearly there I scanned the streets to make sure there were no monsters around before proceeding. _'Gun store.. gun store... Ah! There's one.' _I thought as I looked at the many shops around to see it. I quickly got inside and started to search the place. But as soon as I approached the counter I heard the all too familiar shotgun pump. I quickly raised my hands as a black man in his early twenty's with black hair, brown eyes, and what looked like a Remington 870. "Eh... I don't suppose you can put that down so we can talk?" I asked

"Talk?" The man questioned. "I'd say out here in this zone, this _is_ how we talk." The man said.

"I'm just looking for a gun that's all, I don't want any trouble." I said

"Yeah?" He said as he took out what seemed like a glock from the showcase and tossed it to me. "You're a scavenger right?" The man asked. I nodded my head. "Well let's make a deal, I've been hearing rumors about recent airdrops, but the most relevant is that there's one that's going to drop in the downtown area. How 'bout it huh? You help me and we'll split the loot fifty-fifty. He then tossed me a magazine.

"Uhh... Fuck it. Can't go back empty handed." I replied as I loaded the gun and did a chamber check.

"Alright, let's go." My temporary partner said. As we ran out of the store I caught a glimpse of a local Wal-mart about a mile away.

_'On the way back.' _I planned. _'But... I wonder if this information is actually legit.' _I wondered.

The run has been uneventful so far, sure we get the occasional spider once in a while but other than that the gust of wind was all I can hear besides our footsteps. As we walked in the now dense urban environment to catch our breath I decided to ask my partner something. "Hey." I panted. "You know, I never got to know your name."

"Samuel." The man responded not looking back. "Your's?"

"Nikolai." I answered. "So.. Samuel how was your life before all this? I asked.

"Do you really wanna know?" Samuel asked bluntly.

"Just trying to spark a conversation." I inaudibly said. Not much later a small sound of a plane could be heard, and with that Samuel grew more hyped.

"Holy shit, come on! we gotta be the first ones there!" Samuel yelled and began to run. I then followed.

"Woah! hey! we have to be more cautious about this!" I yelled only for my voice to be interrupted by shotgun shots. I looked to see where he was shooting to see two skeletons falling at the impact of fire.

"Spiders on our left! take care of them." Samuel ordered.

I then aimed the glock to my left to see five spiders on a nearby skyscraper. I pulled the trigger and fired four shots to see one of them fall.

"You're really a shitty aim aren't you?" Samuel said.

"Oh like you can do better while running!" I defended myself.

"Hmph." grunted Samuel as if he took that like a challenge. As we kept on running the roaring of the cargo plane's engines became more loud until it passed us overhead. I then saw something come out of it, two of them. There was a small delay before red and black colored smoke filled the sky. "Which one are we taking!?" I yelled over the loud roar of the plane.

"Follow the black smoke!" Ordered Samuel as he changed his course to follow the red smoke trail. "We'll meet at the gun shop!" Yelled Samuel as he kept going forward.

I then took a left to match the direction of the smoke trail. It wasn't long before I heard whistling arrows fly by around me from skeletons in the shade and the weird sounds of spiders from the buildings above. I just did not care about killing them, all of my focus was on the trail in the sky. After twenty more minutes of running on the streets I took shortcuts in alleyways before looking up once more to to actually see the crate. It was larger than I imagined for it had a rectangular shape, looked bulky too from this distance. It wasn't long until I could see that it was going to touchdown at the river walk. I brought up my pistol and climbed a small fence and dropped down a ledge to enter the river walk. A few hours of searching I found the black smoke along with the crate.

I sighed. "Hope this was worth it." I said as I made my way towards the care package. Once I reached it I began to undo the nylon buckles on top of the package then worked my way down. As soon as all the secured buckles were done I popped open the metal cover and threw it towards the river in a small celebration of finding this forsaken package. As I looked at the contents I sighed out of relief of how much came with this package. "Alright!" I said with renewed motivation as I started to go through it. Inside at first was a Oakley grey/black survival pack (Oakley Mechanism Pack) which I unzipped to put the rest of the contents in. next thing I grabbed was an odd looking thing, I've never seen it before. It looked like a small rectangle but with the corners curved. As I inspected it more I saw two arrows pointing opposite from another, I then pulled the sides apart to reveal a glass display of what seemed to be a handheld GPS but as soon as I turned it on I recoiled back as a large holographic display shot out. After realizing that it showed a local map in a seventy five mile range I closed it and put it in my pocket. _'Definitely keeping that'_ I thought.

The final thing that stood out was a rectangular metal case which my best guess was containing a rifle of some sort. after getting that along with gloves and a black Nike track jacket I stormed out of there and made my way towards the outskirts. As I was walking my HUD suddenly turned on except this time I felt nothing surprisingly. I then heard static

_'...ai! ...ets co...ng!'_

Wait... Foxtrot? With that I heard distant yells behind me.

"There he is! Get him!"

I looked behind me to see three guys. And without hesitation they fired.

I ran. "Shit!" I yelled as bullets sliced through the air and with one ripping past my left shoulder. I winced in pain but clutched the case tightly and took cover at the nearest building I could find... which was the Alamo. As I busted through the door and hid behind cover before inspecting my wound. "Venous." I whispered as I looked at the bleeding wound. I then counted seventeen bullets in the magazine of the glock. And just as I was about to peek gunshots filled the room. "With all do respect can you guys not shoot here!?" I yelled over the gunshots. "Please. There's too much history here." For a moment there was silence. "T-Thank you." I stuttered due to pain. Then the gunshots continued. _'Damn it... Foxtrot... Emergency Protocol... please.' _With that I took the biggest gamble of my life as I stood up and aimed at the three guys. Everything slowed down. I then heard Foxtrot's static'ed voice.

_'Mea...ing conflict. F..ther in...ry... inevitable. 34% ch..ce of liv...g. set...g up c..de 04, 09 and ...7'_

After seeing my hologram go I tried my best to mimic it. As time became normal I pulled the trigger two times at the bandit in the center most likely killing him. I then forced myself to relocate cover but it resulted me getting shot in the leg, same as my hologram. As I fell down I played dead for a moment until one other bandit stood into the open to inspect me. I then unleashed a barrage of bullets in his torso area. I then rolled to my right.

"You fucker!" The last bandit yelled as he witnessed his comrades die by me. He continued firing his gun repeatedly in my direction. I worked my way towards the souvenir shop. It was here where my legs gave out and I decided to make my final stand. I opened the rectangular hard case to reveal a metal sniper rifle with out a scope, the design of it looked almost as if it came out in a futuristic game on the side of it in engraved letters read _'Martini-Henry Mk. VII'_ and below it read _'AG-Systems' _I then desperately searched for a bullet I can use and sure enough I found five .300 Magnum cartridges in the case I quickly got one and loaded it into the rifle and aimed. I then heard his voice. "You'll pay for this!" He yelled angrily as he stormed through the door. The next thing I heard was two bangs and a body hitting the ground.

I opened my eyes to see the bandit on the ground gasping for air while holding on to his throat, and not to later the gasps stopped and the man laid on the floor motionless. I however was breathing heavily, I then struggled to sit up. I let the rifle rest on the floor, "Thank you U.K. for making such amazing rifles." I said hoarsely as I watched the brightness of the room getting slightly darker. _'Sorry Cupa... a bit change of plans.'_

That was my last thought as I blacked out.

* * *

**Just for clarification, the rifle Nikolai had in this is not real in real-life. Since it's 2017 in this I decided to at least put a fictional weapon based on my most favorite rifle ever (Besides the SCAR) but other than that hope you enjoyed.**


	7. Chapter 6: Nightfall

**So apparently after recent events with me struggling to get my algebra out of that 60 threshold and up to a 70 my parents decided to ban me from anything technology related, Xbox, PS Vita, YouTube, etc. So basically they said, "hey, if you want to be entertained: read a book." And right now I'm pretty much saying screw that, I'm going to write a new mothafukin overdue chapter... But yeah I also want to do a shout out to TehBigTwix to be the first one to favorite. Welcome sir... prepare for the longest chapter waits of your life. And also one to Crystalline for being the first one to follow and show great support (I'm pretty much slapping myself mentally for not doing yours sooner). You guys pretty much are the reason why I decided to keep on writing. Thank you.  
**

**Chapter 6: Nightfall**

**7/28/2017, 7:24:58 PM**

I woke up with a jolt and moaned. "Where the hell am-" I stopped to see a dead corpse in front of me... that pretty much answered my question. I tried to pull myself up only to immediately experience the fiery roar of pain in my left shoulder and right leg, I dropped down. _'This is gonna hurt like a bitch isn't it?' _I thought as I forced myself up. It was at that moment I wanted to cry from pain. Trying to ignore the burning sensation I eventually got back up. Gasping I looked around the room to find the rifle on the floor. As I picked it up the handle with my right hand, illuminating orange hexagons ran across the rifle as if it were scanning it. Next thing I knew it vanished with the hexagons and reappeared almost simultaneously in my hand, then it vanished into thin air, leaving me nothing. _'Notch, just what the hell did you do to me?' _I wondered before looking outside.

The sky was a sunburst orange, and it was not until when I saw it I realized it getting dark before I return was inevitable. Reaching for my backpack I searched for something useful. Those _"useful" _things turned out to be two emergency high intensity orange-yellowish glow sticks and a pack of road flares. I then began to tie both of the glow sticks on the back right side of my backpack (opposite side of the shoulder straps) before snapping them to make them glow in the now slightly sunlit room. I grabbed three flares then lit one of them and slipped the other two in small straps attached on the shoulder straps, then looked outside to see nothing but the sun almost setting. I then scavenged the man from yesterday to pick up ammo and limped slightly toward the exit. "And back into battle..." I mumbled before walking back on the streets.

The first thing I did was load my pistol before throwing the lit flare towards a darkened area which revealed two zombies aimlessly walking around. I then took light steps as I carefully walked around the two undead before I limped off. Well... this is a shitty situation.. if only I knew how to hot wire a car then this would be a breeze. It was not until twenty more minutes of walking I felt a hard shove.

"Oh crap, coming through!" A feminine voice said before it was drowned out by the grunts and moans of six zombies. oddly enough none of the flesh eaters paid no attention to me and kept pursuing the girl. Once I regained my balance I looked up to see the girl. She was a little shorter than me, just about two in a half inches, she wore a pure black jacket with a skirt. She had dark purplish hair along with four red beads, and to top it all off: her eyes seemed to be red.

"Hey!" I yelled, hoping for a response.

"What!?" I heard the familiar distant voice again.

"Do you need any help?"

"What does it look like!?" The female voice once more answered.

"Um.. uh..." I muttered while I did a chamber check on the Glock before aiming to fire two bullets. A few seconds later a death groan could be heard, after attempting to fire follow up shots the pistol jammed. "Ah.. damn." I said as I caught a glimpse of the hoard coming at me now. Sighing, I quickly faced the pain on my leg due to the fact I was running in the general direction towards the girl. She however was gone.. probably ran off to save herself. Ignoring the question of where she went I quickly used the alleyways again since it's been in my favor so far.

Many turns and tipping of debris later I eventually lost half of them. I looked for a building to lose the rest, a few steps later and I found a small building that would suffice. I then noticed that the building was a bookstore when I bashed through the door. After shutting the door I felt a strong force trying to pry it open. After looking for a nearby object I noticed that the sun has fully came down from a distant window. Moments later I stuffed a chair on the knob for a little time before barricading it with a metal cabinet.

I sat against the wall to take a breather. "Alright... where the hell am I now?" I asked myself before getting the GPS from my pocket and opening the sides. A bright holographic map then lit the room. As I tried to pinpoint where I was a ping signified my location, I was halfway out of the city.

**8:12:46**

"Hey!" A voice said, interrupting my route planning.

"Huh?" I looked up to see a figure, it took a while before I could manage to make out what it was through the moonlight. It was another girl, she had ice blue eyes and oddly enough her hair seemed to be dark grey, which was cut short. _(Her hair pretty much looks like Yuki Nagato's) _She was wearing a grey hoodie with sleeves cut off, a white T-shirt which the sleeves could be seen, black cargo shorts which seemed to stop at her knees, a black nylon utility belt with a stainless steel quick release buckle, black under armor gloves, and white/black Nike Free Run 6.0 shoes.

"Whoa, hey!" I said, obviously startled. "Wait, who are you?"

"Iris." She answered. "And I dont suppose you've seen another girl out here? A bit shorter than me, purple hair?" I then remembered.

"Uh... yeah I kinda saved her from a horde of zombies." I replied.

"...Damn it." Iris irritably said before she held the bridge of her nose.

"What?" I asked.

"She's my partner. One second she was with me and the next she disappeared like she always does." She then took a moment to stretch. It was not until that moment I saw a silver tail peek out from a small hole in the back of her cargo shorts. I was speechless at the fact that barely now I noticed she had animal like ears, and it took her a while to notice my dumbfounded expression. "Hm? You seem like you've seen a ghost." She exclaimed.

"You... have a... a.." As I tried to search for the words she intervened.

"Tail... and wolf ears." She finished. "Anyway I would love to stay here and chat but I need to track down my teammate before she does something daft... again." As she was stepping away she paused. "Actually I have a better idea, you're going to help me." She declared as she approached me with a tone of uncaring but her bright blue eyes screamed enthusiastic.

"Eh.. can't." I nonchalantly responded .

"What? Why?" The silver tailed girl asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"I don't have much energy, in fact I think it's a miracle I haven't died of blood loss... This is as far as I go, or _can _go." I concluded.

"Alright how about this: you help me and I'll treat your wounds easy deal right?" Iris asked while getting out what looked like a small first-aid kit. Before I had the chance to think about it she got on her knee and started to examine my wounds. "Damn it's too dark in here." Said Iris as she was narrowing her eyes.

"Hold on." I said before reaching for a flare and lighting it. A familiar crackle sounded before bright red lighting filled the area.

"Ah, much better." Iris half smiled but soon faded away before she touched a spot on my cheek which stung on contact.

_'What the? I don't remember taking a hit there... unless.' _I thought back on the events from yesterday, to the moment where I had the most adrenaline running through my body, or in this case the moment where I couldn't feel anything. "Hm... I guess he didn't miss after all." I thought out loud.

"Huh? Who?" Iris asked. I shrugged, "nothing." I said while feeling the wound. It was a straight cut located at least a few millimeters below my left cheek bone, most likely a grazed hit. But considering that the shot was two inches away from a fatal hit, I might as well count myself as one of the luckiest people alive. "Eh.. that'll leave a scar. Anyway on to the next." Iris stated as she started to look at my leg and shoulder. "The best I could do is bandage you. Your right leg seems like crap, unless you can heal immediately, you can't stand up without help." Said Iris as she unzipped the kit, pulled out wraps and a tourniquet, "lie down." Ordered Iris as she started to bandage me. I lied down. "As far as I know you need medical gloves or something for this... well I say screw that, we'll have to improvise" she wrapped the tourniquet around my thigh, just above my wound. She looked at me blankly, she tightened the tourniquet slowly until she reached the final tightening part. "I'm not gonna lie this will hurt... a lot." She warned before I gave a nod of approval. She covered her hand above my mouth before tightening the strap hard as she could. Her hand did average to suppress my screams of pain, after a moment of the world around me getting darker Iris quickly spun the windlass rod and clipped it to secure the tight strap, "done." Iris declared before she cut the rest of the remaining strap with a pocket knife.

I breathed heavily with sweat running down my face, Iris quickly put her hands on my cheeks and slapped them. "Hey! Come on stay with me, do not blackout now." She continued to console me before pausing and spinning her head towards the window behind us, Iris then threw the flare towards the opposite side of the store before dragging me under a tipped book shelve. "Stay quiet." Whispered Iris as she slowly laid down next to me.

"What are we doi- MPH!?." My question got interrupted when Iris's tail covered my mouth. "Shh..." Hushed Iris. moments later I heard faint footsteps and a spine tingling hiss and small coughing. "Creeper." Iris whispered, having her eyes glued onto the window. _'Creeper? What kind of name is that?' _I thought as a shadow rolled by a brick wall. Fear slowly made its way into my mind. The footsteps grew louder until I felt its presences just out the staff exit, where I came in. As the metal door slowly crept open I heard a faint sliding sound near me. "Five... four.." Iris whispered to herself with her body tensing up.

"One!" Iris yelled as she dashed out of our hiding spot, fully drawing out a sword with a black handled, mid length carbon blade (Search up: titanium carbon sword prototype to see exactly what it looks like). After a while Iris drew her sword back into a black holster located on the left side of her utility belt, Iris had a face of surprise. The potential threat was not a monster but something else I can't see.

"Iris?" I heard a familiar voice. No... it can't be.. there's just no-

"Cupa?" Iris asked. Why... the hell is she here? Iris then asked. "What are you doing here?"

"You know... you did not have to come. I was nearly there." I interrupted.

"Niko!" Cupa jolted as she was looking around. "Down here." I raised a hand to signify where I was. She quickly rushed by my side

"Yeah, yeah, I may be an idiot... but I get the job done." I said as I slightly leaned over so Cupa could see my new backpack.

"So your name is Niko?" Iris asked. "It's Nikolai, Niko is just a nickname." I corrected. "So.. you two know each other?" I asked.

"Yeah, we kinda were acquaintances back in our world." Iris explained.

"Yep! pretty much it." Cupa said while looking at Iris for quite a while now. "Say, this is not how you usually look like. What happened to your original clothing and war paint?" Cupa slightly tilted her head to the side questioningly.

"Oh, I found a group... or rather they found me when I was attacked by robbers, of course they did not get away with it easily with my speed." Iris gave a slight smile of triumph then continued. "The group was very kind to me too. They treated my cuts and bruises, offered to train me when I recovered, and they showed me how to do many other stuff that I did not know was possible. Believe it or not, a few familiar faces are at their camp right now." Iris's face darkened a little. "But recently we've been going through tough times at the moment, a while ago a lot of people were cheering because of something about trading with some sort of organization. But so far, early in the morning we lost contact to those who were offering. With supplies down low they sent their fastest including me, to search and do a quick survey.

I thought for a moment before saying. "So I'm guessing with the shortage of materials you can't use firearms huh?" I said while inspecting my pistol. Iris nodded in confirmation.

"Yes, but it's not really a huge difference for me and my partner since swords are almost everyday use for us... But I guess one definite difference are the resources you people use. Seriously what is this made out of? It's light as wood yet it's as durable as diamond." Stated Iris as she unsheathed her sword and examined it.

"Diamond?" I asked. "Now that sounds like a badass sword, but seeing a carbon fiber sword is a first for me too." I said as I tried for a closer look myself.

"So all of it is made of this thing called carbon fiber?" Iris asked, I shook my head. "Not all of it, the handle and the top part of the blade, yes. But the bottom part which goes to the sharpened edge seems to be made out of something else."

"So if I may ask, what is your world like? what is it called? and what's with you calling Cupa a creeper?" I asked.

"That is too long of a story for us to stay here. Well talk during our search for Kelly. You know Kelly, right Cupa?" Iris asked.

"Of course." Cupa said, "she's one of my friends after all." She added. With that the two of them readied up, Iris passed Cupa a pocket knife.

"In case they get too close, I don't know if you know yet but our kind are not our friends anymore." Iris stated.

"Huh? What do you mean." Cupa asked in confusion.

"I don't know why. But they will attack us on sight now." Answered Iris. "Now, other than that we need to get your friend some serious help." Iris gestured her hand towards me.

"What happened?" Asked a curious Cupa.

"Two major injuries... enough to disable him of movement without help. He could probably die of blood loss" Iris replied. "I'll need you to help him up."

Cupa stood there in silence looking dramatized at the 'will die' part. "John." Cupa said. "John can help you right? I mean he _is _a protector."

"Protector? Yes, but he retired at least three years ago... Also he only had a two hour course of medical training." I stated.

"Then our best bet is if I take you to our camp." Said Iris as she turned around towards the exit. "Well Nikolai, what will it be? Die now.. or maybe die later?"

"Uh.. Ma-maybe... maybe die later?" I said as I myself was slightly dizzy from the mention of my possible death.

"Alright." Iris said with a slight relief edge in her voice. "Cupa, help him up." Ordered Iris. And with that Cupa grunted as she struggled to pick me up and wrapping my arm around the back of her neck for more support.

"It's going to be a pain going though these streets at night... I don't suppose you know your way around?" Iris asked as she looked outside. I fished for the GPS in my pocket, but stopped when I felt a new aura of energy through my right arm as I touched the metal exterior. My HUD turned on by itself before a series of strange symbols appeared. (Enchanting characters or words from Minecraft) A three-dimensional map displayed with all the buildings and streets along with there names.

"Yeah..." I replied. "Like the back of my hand."

**12:00:52**

As we were walking I lost my balance from Cupa's arm and nearly fell off before catching myself with my left arm. Which made the pain worse than it would be if I actually would have hit the floor. "Whoa, hey easy." Cupa said.

"Yeah... okay now this looks familiar." Exclaimed Iris. "You see over there?" Iris pointed towards a suburb. "That's where they are. Cupa, put him down at that tree over there." She said. Cupa followed her orders. then Iris started walking off in a different direction.

"Where are you going?" I asked, adjusting myself to sit up straight.

"Going to look for my partner. I'll find you a way to repay me later. Come on Cupa." Iris ordered.

"W-What!?" Cupa said. "Are we just going to leave him here?"

"Of course not." Iris responded as she took out a gun and aimed it straight up in the air.

"Wait, you've had that this whole time?" I asked.

"Yup." Answered Iris as she fired. Along with a bang a bright trail of cyan blue light ripped trough the midnight sky before reaching it's full brightness as it reached it's maximum height.

"Flare guns... neat." I said as I stared up in the sky.

"Response team or whatever they call them should be arriving soon. I would suggest putting flares around the area, that's how to keep the mobs away." Said Iris.

I reached for my backpack to pull out the pack of flares I got from the supply drop. "If you would kindly..." I said as I extended my arm to Cupa who then grabbed them. "It's okay, I'll be fine." I said before watching Cupa lighting flares and dropping them around the general area.

"Alright, that should do it. Let's go." Iris said over her shoulder. Cupa then followed her after saying good luck to me.

**12:17:34**

It was at time I heard the distant crushing sound of grass, and seeing human like figures.

"Hey! over here!" Yelled one of them.

"Yeah, we see it Nate." Said another. I then noticed that they started running until a boy who had a black beanie and seemed a month older than me came through the trees along with a partner not that far behind.

"Wait who are you?" One who I'm guessing Nate asked. I was about to respond before another man came out.

"Alright what's the big-" He paused when he saw me... This was a surprise.

"Oh hey ah... well.. long time no see." I waved sheepishly.

There was a silence. "Yeah... Nikolai." Said Samuel as Nate and the other guy was trying to make sense of the current event.

"Well... I still got the supplies." I said.

"Yeah, yeah, and I got medicine for my heart attack when I thought I sent you to your death." Remarked Samuel then sighed. "Get him up. We're taking him back to base." Samuel ordered. The two men complied and helped me up. As they helped me up I felt and heard a sharp and high pitched sound in my ear.

"Hm... I was wondering when this would happen again." I said.

"Huh? What're you talking about." Nate's voice echoed in my ear.

"Crap he's blacking out. We need to get him back to camp now!" Yelled the other guy.

Then darkness consumed my vision along with my hearing.

**I would also like to thank the GoldBlockIngot for following during the development in this chapter.**


	8. Chapter 7: Prisma

**Hey guys! Sorry for the wait _but_ ****I decided to make it up by making the longest chapter ever resulting in 7,639 words! I dont know about you guys but this is possibly the best thing I've managed to do in my entire life. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7: Prisma**

**7/29/2017, 1:05:41 AM**

_**Iris PoV**_

"Do you really think he's going to be okay?" I heard Cupa ask behind me.

I turned my head back, "yeah, he'll be fine don't worry about him." I replied.

"What was that anyway? That huge light. Some type of firework?" Cupa once again asked me.

"Flare." I answered. "Just like the ones you lit, but this one as you saw shoots up in the air and floats gently to the ground. They call it a parachute flare."

"So is it some kind of signal?"

"Yup, they'll probably send Sam's team or something to pick him up. Now with the questions over let's continue searching." I said, looking forward. After a couple more minutes of walking, running, and jogging I eventually spotted a potential vantage point, after looking around for mobs I motioned my hand behind me to tap Cupa's shoulder, "there." I pointed towards a building roof. "We'll set up there. I only have one more flare left so hopefully Kelly is around here somewhere."

As we climbed up the four story building I took out my flare gun and loaded it before aiming it straight in the air. I looked back at Cupa who was already covering her ears for the exploding bang that was to come, after a nod I pulled the firing mechanism. A trail of light blazed through the sky before exploding and slowly fell. I sighed, "and now for the waiting game," I said while sitting down, looking over the edge.

As we were watching for any signs of movement Cupa decided to spark a conversation. "So... how are we going to explain?" Cupa asked.

"Hm?"

"You know... what we really are... where we came from... how stuff works in our world.. and what kind of person_he _is." Cupa gave a few more examples before stopping when I raised my hand, signalling her to be quiet.

"We'll find that out when we get back to camp, but I would like to test Niko a little though." I said. Cupa slightly cocked her eyebrow.

"Huh? what kind of tests?" The creeper asked.

"Uh.. nothing much really, let's just say he is someone who is very... interesting to me." I said. A small giggle can be heard to the right of me. "What?" I asked.

"You know it's not like you to take an interest in others so suddenly, as far as I know you never associated with anyone but your parents." Cupa stated. That was true I never really befriended anyone mostly because I preferred being by myself and with the two people who gave birth to me. But Nikolai... If he is who Notch described and with the information about him is true and he somewhat is relevant to the current situation, this would be an acception. Cupa's face was filled with mischief which fitted her next sentence. "Heh... or maybe through out today you've finally discovered your true love for him, huh? sleep beside each other and cuddle, get married... have kids. " That made my face flush red and my tail bristle, as Cupa bursted out laughing I picked up the closest object near me which was a cylinder shaped object before throwing it. But Cupa simply dodged it.

"I'll rip you into gunpowder if you dare make another one!" I growled with my wolf canines showing, but the girl in green made one last joke.

"Ha! I was wondering what was happening between you two when I found you laid next to each other... must of been romantic. " Cupa did little to suppress her laughter.

"S-Shut up o-or I'll make you." I stuttered with my face bright red. THAT was how embarrassed I felt. Cupa fell on her back dying of laughter. Annoyed, I surveyed the area once more before seeing something move in the darkness. "A-Alright cut it out break is over, I think I saw something over there." I said, calming down a little. "Do you have any more flares?" I asked Cupa.

"Yeah at least three more." Cupa responded.

"Give'em here." I extended my palm. As Cupa handed over the remainders I lit one and threw it towards a darkened area. As it hit the ground I saw a familiar shadow that outlined a feminine figure with two ponytails. "Kelly!" I yelled trying to get the shadow's attention. "Kelly is that you?!" The shadow took off running out of the lightened area. "If you can hear me, follow the light!" I yelled as I lit the rest of the flares and threw them simultaneously from long distance to short. After what seemed half an hour I heard a voice behind me.

"Hi."

I turned around to see two red eyes peek over the edge of the roof.

"About time." I replied back while walking over and helping her up, along with Cupa.

"Wait Cupa?" Kelly said confused, Cupa smiled and scratched the back of her head.

"What's up?" Cupa greeted and waved her hand.

"Alright so... where did you run off to?" I asked the twin pony tailed girl.

"Oh, I saw red smoke and decided to see if there was anything I can scavenge." Kelly answered.

"Oh? And I assume you were aware that searching those parts were for Samuel's team?" I asked. Kelly looked at me with her confused red eyes.

"Eh, what?"

I slapped my forehead with my palm. "Do you _ever _listen to instructions?" The girl shrugged.

"Well I managed to pick the leftovers without any problems so... yeah, what have you managed to get?" Kelly asked while showing her results.

"Nothing. I tried looking for you when you ran off." I replied. "Never mind that though, we have to go back to camp since we already wasted our energy." I stated while walking towards the staircase.

"Alright, let's go Cupa." Kelly said. However, Cupa did not move. She was using her thumbs to tap and swipe on a rectangular device, and not only that but there was something in her ears. "Cupa?" Kelly once more asked. The creeper was still focused on the small device. "Cupa!" Kelly yelled. Still no response.

"Oh for Notch's sake." I irritably said. I walked to Cupa and forcefully snatched the rectangular thing from Cupa's hands. Just as soon as I was about to throw it off the roof Cupa took hold of my right arm.

"No stop!" She yelled.

"What is this?" I demanded with an annoyed edge to my voice.

"It's... Nikolai's" She responded before gently taking Niko's property from my fierce grip. As soon as she stepped back she put in one of the plugs in her ear before asking what just happened.

"We're going, let's go." I ordered.

**2:21:53**

After taking the same route back to base we been greeted by many of the people in the group. After giving Cupa a short tour of the base I then showed Cupa where she can sleep for the night by pointing at one of the many houses.

"You can sleep in there tonight, there should be a woman in there taking charge of who sleeps where. Tell her that I sent you and she'll tell you where to rest." I informed

As Cupa and walked off and Kelly followed her for further guidance, I then looked for Samuel.

"Where is he..." I whispered to myself. A few minutes later I spotted him near a fire at the dinning area, pouring himself what seemed like soup and sat on a bench. I walked up to him and gently slapped his shoulder. "So... how did your run go?" I asked.

"It went well, managed to haul back medical supplies and a few cans of food. You?" He asked.

"Not so good..." I sighed. "Kelly pretty much scavenged what you left behind, and that's all."

"So apparently we have this new visitor... were you apart of it?" He asked me.

"Yup." I said while yawning. "He saved Kelly from a horde of mobs and it was getting dark so why the nether not?" I said while pouring my own night ration.

"Nether? Seriously where did yo-... you know what? Never mind." Samuel said before finishing his ration of soup and began to walk off. But not before grabbing his arm.

"Mind if I ask, which house is he in?" I asked.

"He's in that one. Infirmary two." Samuel pointed at a lantern lit house with a porch.

"Thanks." I said before eating my own ration and hearing the chirping of what the people here call crickets.

After eating I stepped on the porch before knocking on the wooden door then opening. As soon as I walked in I saw two wounded figures on two separate couches, it was at that point I was greeted by a man in his late thirty's he had brown hair and eyes and wore a white T-shirt and jeans. "Hm? Iris? What are you here for?"

"I came to visit a guy named Nikolai? Is he here?"

The man gestured his hand upstairs. "First room to the left." He sat down. "Did he come from that world you came? He has some weird markings on his arm."

_'Markings on his arm?' _I thought before extending my hand "Thanks mister..."

"Victor... Garza." The man shook my hand. With that I made my way upstairs lightly so I won't be a disturbance.

Taking a left I then reached the door Victor was talking about. Slowly I opened the creaking door to see a familiar face, he was laying on a bed along with a blanket that draped over him, his eyes were closed and seemed like he was asleep. I walked forward towards the sleeping form to see he had no shirt on, his body was slim but fit, only blood stained bandage wraps covered his left shoulder area, however his right arm which was covered in the blanket glowed softly enough that it could be seen through the blue covers. I gripped the blanket before pulling it down to reveal a weird pattern of lines that stretched from his shoulder to his hand, a few seconds later I noticed the lines were clear colored along with white pulses of light traveling down the complex pattern. I hesitated before attempting to feel the illuminating pattern, but as soon as I placed my hand on it a painful shock rippled through my body and just like that I drifted off.

* * *

_**Nikolai PoV**_

"What did you do to me?! what is this?!" I said with half anger and confusion. I was in the same place as before, only this time the circuit board lines could be seen, glowing as ever, but this time it was clear colored.

"A gift." Notch simply responded.

"Well you can take it back, get this thing off of me." I demanded while extending my arm towards Notch who then pushed it aside.

"I'm sorry but it's not that simple, but either way, if I somehow do manage to remove it your death will be imminent the second I take it off." That buzzed a question.

"How so?" I asked.

"Wait... You haven't figured it out yet?" Notch asked.

"Figured what ou-" I then remembered, what the doctors told me. About what would happen if the small unit in the back of my head were to lose power. "No... you don-"

"You know exactly what I mean." The man interrupted me then continued. "If you could remember the blackout on that day, it was not just your area, but the whole world, and along with it your electricity is slowly dissolving away until you have nothing left. Your kind will be dragged back into the iron age. So yeah... as soon as that blackout occurred you were slowly dying of this invisible assassin, until-"

"-You came along..." I finished, putting my head down to look at the markings on my right arm. "Is this what it is? Some eternal power source." I asked. Notch gave a nod.

"There's a whole lot more to it but of course it comes down to a price, or in this case it blocks out that voice in your head." Notch said.

"Well that explains that part but I still have one question."

"That would be?" The Brunet asked.

"Back when I woke up. When I grabbed a rifle it seemed like hexagons were scanning it before it vanished in thin air." I shrugged my shoulders. "Care to explain?" I asked.

"That would be the inventory." Notch simply answered.

"Alright... what does that mean exactly?" I asked. Notch rested his finger on the markings.

"It means somewhere in that is be where your gun is." He answered.

"I dont suppose you can show me how to use it?" I asked.

"You _should _know by now since you've already done it." There was a short silence. "Alright, what was going through your mind at the time?" Notch asked.

"How the hell am I going to pull this off." I answered. Notch then clapped his hands once.

"There, that's why. You know how I said the gift I gave you links up to your unit right?" I nodded my head. "Well if I'm not mistaken your unit also links to your brain. Don't you see? All you have to do is request it."

"Well... it's worth a try." I decided. Thinking of how to request the metal and wood made firearm, for a moment I noticed a twitch of blue light that ran through my arm. Despite trying harder to summon the rifle I eventually gave up. "God damn it, screw it. I'll find out how to do it later."

"Aw come on just a bit more, you were almost there." The man encouraged. "Try muscle memory." Notch suggested.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked once more.

"You know... how you hold your weapon. Surely that should help somehow."

With that advice I decided to go one more time. I shaped my hands as if I held an invisible firearm before aiming it forward. I saw a more noticeable twitch of light, as it moved halfway down my arm it brightened and sped up until it hit my hand, the light exploded from my palm into circuit lines and hexagons at the same time before it started to form out the shape of the marksman rifle. I then felt a tangible handle, as the rifle was half finished the light stopped leaving only the grip, stock and half of the body with some unfinished parts still glowing. It held this shape until the remaining light simmered the rifle then exploded with deteriorating triangle shards.

"Grr..." I grunted with annoyance and impatience._ 'I need something more familiar but what? pull the trigger? no... that would just be wasting ammo if it did work. Maybe this though.' _I thought as I shaped my right hand but the left motioned to do a chamber check. Just as I thought, first the grip appeared along with the fore-stock and the charging handle, I used my left hand to grip the charging handle before pulling it back and smacking the release to fully arm the rifle, as I did the circuit lines and hexagons fully fabricated the rifle with one last gleam of light. Feeling the weight return I quickly moved my left hand to rest it on the fore-stock. The rifle gleamed slightly with the small cyan lines running down until their brightness dying out. I then gave a small laugh of triumph.

"Well done." Notch smiled. "Now try putting it back." Notch said with a challenging tone.

This part was easy, all I needed to do was concentrate and stretch my hand open. The Mk. VII turned into a bunch of neon like lights that you would normally see in an awesome digital art picture before absorbing into the center of my hand. but as it did, the lights formed a futuristic like glowing triangle with colors as cyan, bright orange, and a mint green faded between each other from top, middle, and bottom, but there was also a miniature triangle in the center formed by three smaller triangles which glowed red. I also noticed that small particles formed from the triangle as well. (You can refer it to my new profile picture :P)

"The inventory can hold up to thirty six items along with a quantity of sixty four per item." Notch explained. I looked at him astonished. Notch then gave a smug look. "Oh? dont want it taken back now huh?" I nodded my head.

"I... stand corrected." I replied.

"That colored triangle is pretty much the central control for all functions within the Prisma." Notch explained.

"Prisma... is that what it's called?" I asked. Notch just shrugged.

"Eh... I barely thought of the name ten seconds ago. What do you think?" Notch asked.

"Prisma it is. And I only have one question about it." I replied

"Shoot." Notch acknowledged.

"I remember this thing being orange, what happened to that?" I asked.

"Oh that's an easy one, there are three stages to Prisma. Think of it like fire when you light it, it takes a while for it to settle down or in this case: phase one on when I gave it to you. Then there is stage two, when the orange dies out it is replaced with that half transparent color, awaiting for the finished product. Finalizing the Prisma requires knowledge of the inventory, or at least doing both actions. So what you just did recently was stage three." Notch explained.

I noticed that the sky around us got a bit darker along with the wind picking up. "Huh? what's going on?" I said while looking at the weather around me.

"Right now the Prisma is unstable, but don't worry it. It should stabil-" His voice faded into nothingness, and a blink later I found myself in the back left seat in a moving car.

"Hey! I thought we were going to the doctor!" I heard a kid throwing a fit to the right of me.

"What the?" I said as I looked around the car, a Ford Fusion. Then I saw the kid, he had black hair, slightly light brown skin, he was wearing a black polo, dark jeans, and shoes, to top it off he had grey eyes like mine.

"Hey Niko, news flash but school is good for you, and like it or not you _have _to go, even if your playing sick." I heard another voice which I assume is the dad.

"Wait... Niko? oh hell no. Why now of all times?" I said as I knew exactly what this is.

"I hate you..." The boy said looking at the window.

"Ohhh no." I said. "Listen you ungrateful shit! Take that back right now, do you have any idea how bad those words will haunt you for the rest of your life?!" I demanded. But the boy kept looking through the window. I looked at the front window to see a intersection coming up. I quickly faced the father. "Stop the car!" I found myself yelling. "Stop right now! or-" I got interrupted as the man looked to the right. Something was off about his face though... it was obscured with a blur. I then heard a loud screeching sound along with a horn.

"Nikolai hold on!" The dad yelled before impact. At that moment the car tumbled over at the impact of the truck. For me at that moment I felt nothing. As for the kid... it was the most painful event of his life.

My vision blurred out until I heard rushing wheels. As my vision began to work again I found the little kid on a stretcher being rushed towards the emergency room. I began running to catch up as I knew exactly what was about to happen in a moment, midway through I turned my head towards the left of me just like the child. At that moment everything went in slow motion. What I saw was room 579 where the child's father was, an arm could be seen it was motioning towards the kid but stopped halfway before weakly dropping down. Fortunately the kid was to young to understand what that meant. But for me it took three more years from that kid's current age to know what happened in that room. I stopped running as soon as they reached the emergency room doors, I just stood there and watched.

This time a white flash blinded me and a loud thunder clap boomed across the sky and wet drops bombarded through the grey sky. My eyes adjusted to see that I was outside along with a small crowd of people, the first person I saw was the child who's eyes were pouring as much as the precipitation around him, all I heard from him was a weak, "I'm sorry..." Until he started crying. I looked to his side to see his mother crying herself, and along side her was a current First Lieutenant consoling her. I started walking through the crowds of people to see two people filling a six foot hole. I looked down on the black marble gravestone to see...

* * *

_Aiden Miles_

_1973 - 2005_

* * *

And pretty much his description about how he was a loving father and all. At this point I wanted this nightmare to be over... for twelve years these moments were the ones I tried to forget the most. And despite the effort the only thing I managed to forget was my father's face. The area around me started to deteriorate and whiteness filled my eyes as I found myself back where I was, standing on water.

* * *

**11:06:24 AM**

_**Iris PoV**_

I woke with a jolt, still dazed of what I saw. Was that... Nikolai? did he really have to go through that? As I thought about it the sleeping form twitched and turned. I also noticed a bit of sweat on his face, he was having a nightmare. Just as my arm motioned to wake him up he sprang back into reality... or what's left of it from his point of view.

"What... the fuck?" He groaned as he rubbed his eyes with his right hand, one of his eyes flickered blue before fading into grey. I gazed at them with confusion. As the boy's senses started to comprehend he managed to recognize me. "Iris? where am I?" He asked with slow progress to fully wake up.

"What is with your eyes." I asked as that was the only thing on my mind. He just looked at me before replying.

"What do you mean? my eyes have always been li-" He stopped before speaking again. "Oh yeah, that's right, you and Cupa don't know that these are artificial." Nikolai said nonchalantly.

"Huh, artificial?" I asked. The boy nodded.

"Yep, I lost my real eyes a long time ago." Nikolai said.

"I'm... sorry for bringing that up then." I apologized sympathetically. Nikolai raised his hand.

"Huh? oh, don't worry these things are just about the same as normal eyes." Niko assured. I still wonder if he's telling the truth of not.

"Well... about my question." The grey eyed boy said politely.

"Welcome to our camp!" I said enthusiastically to bring the mood up. Nikolai's blank expression didn't change, all he did was look around the grey room and the bed with blue sheets. "Uh, is something wrong?" I asked.

"Yeah... why are we in my house?" He asked, still looking around the room.

"Your what?" I asked with a dumbfounded expression. "Okay that was a jo-" I got interrupted.

"This house is at least two floors high, up the staircase you took a left to get here. Am I wrong?" He asked. I blinked

"Nope." I said.

Just then Nikolai looked out the window to the left of him to see the street filled with people walking while carrying wood and other materials, along with children playing with others from another house across the road, and to finalize the view was the small group of four people armed with firearms that were patrolling the streets. Nikolai watched in awe of the sight before him before pointing to the workers and asked what exactly were they doing.

"Two nights ago a small group of zombies attempted to attack the nursery or in this case that house across the road." I pointed at where the kids were playing before continuing. "No one was hurt, but after that incident Erin suggested that we should set up a 'perimeter defense' or in this case a wall around the area." I explained.

"What the hell? only three days have passed and you guys have a whole village set up along with a leader already?!" Nikolai asked, astonished of our achievements so far.

"Well to be fair, Erin is not exactly an official leader, but he might as well be with all the influence he has and not to mention how he bands everyone together to make what you see now." I said, gesturing my hand to the window. "Also while others looked at me like I will never belong here, he vouched for me and the others."

"So other than building the wall, are there other places around here that are unique like the nursery?" Nikolai said with his interest piqued.

"Yeah, and I'll give you the full tour around but on one condition." I bartered. Nikolai's head tilted slightly.

"Huh? what would that be?" He asked.

"In exchange of information of our camp, you will join us. Follow our rules and have three rations a day." I said. Hopefully he will say yes so I can keep a closer eye on him and see what other things that make him unique besides those markings. There was a somewhat long period of silence before Nikolai answered.

"Eh... yeah sure if you can spare room for three more." He said. I half smiled

"All right then it's settled, but who are the other three?"

"Cupa obviously, and two other relatives of mine." Nikolai answered.

"Where are these other two?" I asked.

"They're somewhere near um... hang on." Said Nikolai as he looked for something in his pocket, what he brought out was a small rectangular device. As he opened the sides up a map flashed in midair. "There." He pointed at an area that seemed to be outside the city before tapping it, just then a circular ping rippled on the general spot. Nikolai closed the device and passed it to me. "If you know any, could you give this to locals who lived around that area?" He asked me. I simply nodded.

"Alright, now with that out of the way, let me speak to the doctor." I said while walking out the door and descending downstairs. The patients were now up and still either groaning in pain or sulking to themselves due to what they saw. Just then I saw the doctor from yesterday changing bandages from a man's wound on his arm.

"Seems infected." Exclaimed the doctor. "What did you get attacked by anyway?" He asked.

"Zombie." Grunted the man at the feeling of contact. "You got something for this right?"

"Nope." The doctor said with a straight face. "We might have to amputate it... you know, like what happened in The Walking Dead, only this time your arm." After that sentence me and the patient's eyes were filled with uneasiness. The patient let out an awkward nervous laugh that died out in a mere second. The doctor then chucked before speaking. "I'll see if there's any peroxide and redress the scratch, bite, or whatever that is. I just got a new batch of supplies too, one of those rare crates can you believe that? okay just sit tight, I'll be back." The patient then sighed out of relief. I then coughed to get Victor's attention. "What th-? you're still here?" He asked before noticing by somewhat messy hair. "Oh... I uh.. never mind." He looked toward the stairs, then at me.

"It's... nothing happened, I blacked out because of Andr." I desperately made up an excuse, Victor still looked at me funny._'Damn, need a bit more.' _I thought before speaking again. "Yeah, contact with enderman can cause you to black out long-symptom wise." I added, as I tried to cling on to another excuse a loud bang could be heard from above us. Victor and I looked at each other for a second before rushing up stairs.

As we were halfway up multiple muffled tapping sounds filled my ears. We took a left and practically busted the door down to see Nikolai hopping on one foot near what looked like the closet while putting on a solid grey long sleeved shirt (FT60 J72 Long Sleeve Shirt) and holding a olive colored coat in his left hand (Military Slim Vintage Coat) He looked at us then at himself in this... scenario. "Uh... this.. ahm.. just sort of.. happened." Nikolai said. Victor quickly helped him back onto the bed.

"Jesus fucking Christ, what were you thinking?" Victor said with a scolding edge to his voice.

"Don't mind me, just starting my day by re-clothing myself." Said Nikolai as he scratched the back of his head.

"And that brings me to my second point, why are you taking clothes from other people?" Victor once more asked.

"I'm actually surprised you guys haven't torn them up for make shift bandages." Remarked Nikolai. "But yeah, these clothes are my own property and I'm pretty sure I could do whatever I please with them."

"_Your _property?"

"Yes Victor, he owns the wardrobe... along with this house" I stated.

"You're joking right?" The doctor asked.

"There is an Xbox 360 set up down stairs with a crap ton of games on a shelf to the right of it, across the hallway there is a bathroom, and I'm pretty sure this house's address is 1108. Believe us now?" Nikolai said. Victor nodded with a surprised expression.

"And I don't suppose you have any codeine in that crate drop?" Nikolai asked him.

"Why? from what I saw you didn't hit any wounded spots." Exclaimed Victor.

"Of course I did, what do you think that first crash wa- gahh shhh-!" Nikolai bit his lip and suddenly grunted in pain, grabbing his leg for an attempt to ease the burning sensation. Victor took a step back before running downstairs.

After a few minutes Victor brought water and what I'm assuming the medicine Nikolai requested, after swallowing the small circular thing Nikolai thanked the doctor, but just left a question for me. "So that's... medicine?" I asked. Nikolai nodded.

"Yeah, what do you use in your world?" The part artificial boy asked.

"Potions." I simply answered. Nikolai looked at me with disbelief at first but then let it go.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised, especially when you walk around with that showing." Nikolai gazed at my tail. Nikolai then turned towards the doctor. "Oh yeah, besides that do you have crutches?"

"Yes, but you can't go in your current condition, it's only been one day's worth of recovery." Victor answered.

"I could handle myself, believe me." Nikolai reassured. "It's just for today, please. We're just going around the camp."

It took a long while before Victor made his verdict. "Fine, alright. But don't come crying to me next morning when you have the most god awful ache." He then turned to me. "You should find them next to the door out." Victor said as he left the room.

"Seems like your getting that tour after all." I gave Nikolai a smile before heading downstairs as well. As soon as I reached downstairs I caught a glimpse of Victor changing his patient's bandages. Once he saw me he flicked his head towards two items near the wooden door. After picking them up I climbed the stairs and re-entered Nikolai's room. "Alright, let's go." I said while tossing the iron like objects towards Niko.

As I helped him down the stairs and across the living room we eventually reached the door to the outside. When I opened the wooden door blinding sunlight and the various sounds of footsteps and chatter greeted us. As this was somewhat getting normal for me Nikolai behold the sight as his made eyes were moving everywhere. "I just wonder if those kids know what's actually happening." Nikolai said, looking at a group of children chasing each other and tapping one another before running away from said tapped.

"What is that called?" I asked.

"Tag." Nikolai simply responded. "Why? you never played it?"

"Oh, I've played it lots of times. Just differently." I said.

"How so?" The boy to my left asked.

"We use that game to simulate pursuit and escape situations, we use trees, caves, cliffs and mountains to the best of our abilities. And to 'tag' someone you'll have to either trap, immobilize, or subdue them. Either way, at the end of the day someone will be scolded for not being fast or smart enough." I explained.

"Seems interesting... and somewhat violent. You did this when you were a kid?"

"For survival lessons and recreation. That activity is why wolves are the most effective choice for reconnaissance and scavenging, pretty much the most agile choice out there besides the few humans that can keep up." I responded. I then started walking. "Alright, come on let's go." I said with Nikolai following right behind me. "Over there by that campfire by that wooden post over it is where you get your daily rations." I pointed at the general direction of the area.

As we continued strolling across the street we ended up in front of a very large building, people here call it a school where they get their education but since we came it has been turned into our stash for weapons and gear, probably the most vital building have so far.

As we walked inside and traveled through a long hallway to exit out another door which led to a open field, looking up left we saw five people in a row pointing firearms towards an array of square wooden planks.

"Range clear, Firing Range is hot!" A booming voice could be heard but got drowned out by small but loud exploding sounds. All but one fired their weapons, that one person was a girl that had long silver hair tied into two pony tails, a light grey cap with a face on it ,grey eyes, wore a navy blue polo shirt, dark shorts, and dark brown boots. She was examining her rifle irritably, checking the stock, upper barrel, and the wooden receiver. As time passed the man in charge of the firing range approached the girl. "What's wrong this time, Yuri?" He said in a half annoyed tone. The girl gave a sheepish smile and scratched her hair.

"Oh... eh.. um.. how do you make it fire again?" Yuri asked while holding out the rifle's muzzle towards the man.

"Whoa! hey! don't point that at people!" The man quickly retreated away from the gun.

I heard Nikolai sigh. "Alright, who is she?" Niko asked, pointing at the silver haired girl.

"Yuri Apache." I responded. "Skeleton, the most accurate shot in all of minecraftia... or at least from what I've seen."

"Apache... anyway, most accurate shot? she seems like a kid while handling that rifle." Said Nikolai. "Not only is that an AK but shouldn't it be common sense no-... you know what? never mind."

"Well... bows and arrows, but give her a chance to master that thing and I'm pretty sure you won't be able to dodge a projectile."

"I think I got it!" Exclaimed Yuri as she flipped a switch located on the left side of the rifle. She then continued to line up her shot. Well... she managed to shoot, but the knock back of the rifle made her lose balance.

"Yeah, that'll take a while," said Nikolai as he crutched away. but as he took five steps the instructor noticed him.

"Hey, you there." He pointed at Nikolai. "You know the rules: no injured persons in this area without permission from Erin." I face palmed mentally.

_'Damn, forgot about that.' _I thought, I noticed Nikolai had those unable to explain faces. _'Well, only one way to get him outta this.' _I stepped forward and took hold of Niko's left shoulder and put on a fake irritated face. "There you are, jeez I've been looking all over the place for you."

"Ow." Niko flinched, "the fu-" Before he can argue further I gave him a sharp look. I looked up to the group to see everyone watching, I felt my tail twitch with nervousness. "I-I'm so sorry I guess he's just too daft of his surroundings, I'll lead him to Erin... 'kay bye!" I said while feeling my tail and ears slightly twitch once more.

After practically dragging Niko out and back on the sidewalk he shrugged my hand off of his shoulder. "Damn that hurt!" Nikolai complained.

"S-Sorry." I apologized.

"What's up with you anyway? one second I see you just fine and the next moment your tail was twitching like crazy." He stated.

"You noticed?"

"Yeah I mean... I saw it in my peripheral vision." Niko answered.

Just then we heard an all to familiar voice. Sort of like an over hyped child on sugar... like tons of it.. at LEAST a stacks worth.

"Hey guys!" The voice said, followed by a rapid fire of the skidding sound of footsteps. I turned around to see Cupa approaching us alongside Kelly who was trying to catch up.

"Hey, for Notch's sake slow down!" The spider warned but soon found out her efforts were useless.

"Wow... is she really this energetic? yesterday she was barely able to get up from the couch." Said Nikolai.

As the speeding creeper came to a halt Nikolai got bombarded with questions. "There you are! are you okay? what are those things? what did you get hit by? how long will you be able to recover?" When I looked up towards Nikolai's face I could instantly tell this is not what he expected at all. I kinda felt pity for him as Cupa asked many more.

"I'm fine." He responded at last before asking Cupa a question. "Are those my headphones?" He pointed towards Cupa's ears. She smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah but they stopped working along with this." Cupa answered while taking out the rectangular device I nearly destroyed.

"What th- you actually brought that?" His face was covered with both relief and surprise.

"Yep! but I think you'll need to craft a new one." The hooded girl said. "Before it broke it said ten percent battery remaining."

Without saying anything, Niko crutched over to Cupa and took the rectangular device and held it for a while before the screen of it suddenly flashed on with the device showing a picture and displaying numbers _4:03_ above it. Nikolai looked at the device blankly before handing it back to Cupa. "There you go, good as new... I guess." He said while looking at his gloved hand.

"Well Cupa I think you came just in time. I'll need to take you and Niko to our unofficial leader." I said as I motioned my hand for everyone to follow.

**04:26:58**

_**No PoV**_

As the group made their way down the slightly crowded streets they soon found themselves in front of a two floor brick house with slightly barricaded windows. Stepping on the porch of the house Kelly knocked on the door.

"Hey Erin! open up we have new visitors!"

Just a short moment later the door opened, revealing a tanned man armed with a Model 1903 Remington. He took a long look at us before asking. "I'm guessing these are the people Sam's team saved?" Kelly nodded. The armed man then stepped aside and approached the nearby staircase. "Hey, Erin! you have guests!" The man said loudly upstairs before gesturing the four to head up.

But as soon as Nikolai stepped forward the man stopped him. "You can wait down here. Just sit down there." He pointed towards the couch to the right of the living room. Slightly growling with annoyance Niko soon complied and sat down.

As Cupa, Kelly, and Iris climbed up they heard muffled chatter.

"Alright lately our scavengers have been quite successful in these areas with results of food and water along with two crates." A feminine voice said.

"And what were the two crates anyway?" A voice of man said.

"Medicine and survival gear." The woman's voice answered.

"God... damn it..."

"What? we should be grateful that we even managed to get those!"

"You're missing the point Raven. What we need now are not food and water, we need more weapons and ammunition." The man firmly said.

"Why? Erin, we already got plenty of those already."

As the three made their way upstairs the voices could be heard much clearer.

"No we don't. Why do you think we started to give out swords and blunt weapons? the supply is all ready low as it is too... besides what if we got attacked? we would be screwed!"

"Where would we find any anyway?" The woman said with a slightly irritated voice. "Not even Sam could find any when we instructed him to look for some at a gun store."

Just before the conversation could go on further the trio walked in the room and found a man and woman standing across each other with a coffee table draped with a map over it sat between the two. The man whose name was Erin seemed like he was forty, he had brown hair along with amber eyes, he wore a black buttoned shirt with a brown jacket over it, dirt stained jeans, and wore very old mountain boots.

While the woman who was known as Raven seemed like she was in her mid-twenty's had pure black hair along with dark brown eyes and wore a plaid blue/black scarf, dark blue tank top, denim shorts, and had black and red Zig-tech Reebok shoes.

"We'll... find that out later. Dismissed." Erin said. As Raven left the room Erin turned towards the small group. "Yes?"

"Well... we have new residents that need your approval to stay." Kelly explained.

"Hm... in that case we'll have to secure another city block at this rate.. They can stay as long they can pull their weight. Where are they anyway?"

"Well one is right here. The other is down stairs wounded, and there will be two others that are outside the city." Iris chimed in.

"Well let's not keep him waiting." Said Erin as he passed by the girls and descended downstairs.

"So... nice Remington." Nikolai said as he tried to break the deafening silence. But resulted with the man to shrug and look out the boarded window. Sighing, Nikolai resulted into staring at the floor blankly until he heard the sound of multiple footsteps coming down. He looked up to see another man coming down followed by the girls.

"I'm guessing he is Nikolai?" The man said. Iris nodded.

"Yup that's him." She confirmed.

As the man approached Niko extended his hand. "Nice to meet you uhh.."

The man took hold of Nikolai's hand. "Erin. A pleasure."

As Erin took a seat, Iris took out the holographic GPS. "So about the other two..." Iris said before activating the device and locating the waypoint Nikolai showed her. "They're somewhere over here by this area."

"Alright... I'll get Raven on it at once." Erin said before turning to Nikolai. "I don't suppose you people have any supplies over there do you?"

"I don't know, how does a supply of weapons and ammo sound?" Niko asked nonchalantly. Erin slightly smiled

"I'm starting to like you guys already." Erin said.

A couple of minutes later Erin served up six servings of Pepsi and handed out cups to everyone. Erin raised his cup before speaking, "to Cupa, Nikolai, John, and Jen for joining us at just the right time of ammunition deprivation and their promises of hard work and survival." Now everyone raised their cup except for Nikolai who was not used to this kind of stuff. "Together under one banner we will thrive in these darkest times... as Fireflies!" Erin said while followed by everyone else.

"Fireflies!" Erin, Iris, Kelly, Cupa, and that other guy known as Tarkov rejoiced in unison of the title. All except for Nikolai.

"Fire... what?"


	9. Chapter 8: Recovery

**Chapter 8: Recovery**

Four months have passed since that day, since the world Minecraftia collided with ours. Also the day I made the decision of joining the Fireflies. Once Jen and John got the information they slightly celebrated. But according to Raven, the leader of the scouts and scavengers, the celebration quickly died out from John when she informed him retrieval of all his weapons and ammo. He didn't budge at first but when she promised John access to all his weapons that's when he agreed. Ever since then the first three months has been nothing but laying in bed... through those days I've never felt so... useless. Nothing to do at all but to talk to Cupa or Iris if they visited. I did find some amusement in our conversations. Just like Iris for example, I did not expect it but apparently wolves are nearly identical to Native Americans according to her culture, and from how she always gets mad when I don't finish my meals completely... especially when John informed her of an eating disorder that developed when I was five, after my father's death... now on those occasional days when John asks her to check over me this is sort of what it's like.

* * *

Victor had the idea to set up a small table up in my room so every time Iris comes we sit across from another. Almost all the time, midway through my meal I attempt to make an excuse.

"Well I'm tired so... yeah I'll just go and take a nap now." Just as I push my plate gently forward she pushes it back and gives me that... look. I don't really know how to describe it but I feel like her blue eyes are just forcefully trying to compel me into eating more.

"Well you know what they say, A full stomach can work wonders when sleeping." She said in that spurious smile that says '_I can see through your bullshit, so eat up motherfucker..._'

OK maybe that last part was a little exaggerated, but it's pretty close of what it means. "I think I'll be fine so-" At this part as soon as I attempted to slyly make my way towards the bed, Iris stands up and casually lays down on it and attempts to take as much room as possible as if it's no big deal. "What are you doing?"

"Don't mind me, just resting." She says in an innocent voice while pulling the blanket over her body.

"That's... where I sleep.." I say as my mind struggles to process what's happening.

She shrugs and her eyelids close slowly. "Meh... no biggie right?" No biggie? Like hell it is and you know it...

I looked at her for a long time before responding. "Don't you have any scouting runs to do?"

"I do the morning runs so I'm free to relax."

"Are you sure? I think Raven'll be pretty pissed to see someone slacking."

"She'll understand, after all she knows women need their relaxation."

"Where will I sleep then?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious? right here of course." Iris answered while patting a small open spot... which if I did somehow agree I would be _EXTREMELY_ close to her. This is what I hate about being injured. If I wasn't I could of easily walked out the door saying, "screw this, I don't need to put up with this." And continue with my day. But no, out of all the options she chooses this one.

"God damn it... fine! I'll eat the damn food!" I irritably said. As I looked at Iris she gave a smile of triumph before snuggling into the warm blanked that covered her.

"Hey, Nikolai?" I heard Iris's voice to the left of me.

"What?" I said with a unintentional sharp edge to it, after that I lower my head in a small apology. It did not seem to bother Iris though, it's almost as if she was expecting it.

"How was your past like?"

I hesitated before responding, "eh?"

"You know, what you did before we came, maybe even tell me how you were when you were a child."

"How I was like as a child? I only have a few small patches of memory, but what I do know for sure is that after an event I became very timid, probably a lot of street fighting as well." I said, resting my hand on my forehead.

"Fighting? why would you do that?" Said Iris as she sat up.

"No idea, a lot of urges could form when trying to fend off grief."

"Whoa hey, and this was at what age?"

"Sophomore to Senior year... so probably in between 15 to my current age."

"Do any of your parents know about this?"

"At the time my mom had to work late hours from morning to midnight so in away I was basically living on my own." After those last words I slightly remembered something. "Hm, now that I think of it. That might be why I got timid in the first place."

"Not having parents around?"

"Not having anyone around in general, you know, isolation." I say while adjusting my cap. This action made one of Iris's ears peek up.

"Why even bother wearing that anyway?" Said Iris as she pointed towards my hat.

"Personal reasons." I firmly answered.

"Come on, don't give me that. You can tell me." Says Iris as she hanged upside down at the edge of the bed.

"No, I _really_ don't know why myself... To be honest the closest reason I've ever thought about was running away from my past."

"Oh... well, anyway how was your school like?" Iris quickly dropped the topic.

It took me a while to answer. "Hm, I knew it."

"What?"

"So you were the one poking around my memories." Iris's eyes widened a little at the sentence.

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

"Oh, you know what I'm talking about. This thing on my arm does not just give me flashbacks by itself, besides if you're trying to bullshit me at least take some interest in the topic before changing the subject, you'd sound more convince-able."

"I-I'm sorry! I did not know it would cause you trouble... or any trouble at all!" She stammered.

"Eh, I've already forgiven you."

"Huh?"

"To be honest I've known for awhile now, this was just for confirmation."

"S-So... you're not mad?"

"Oh trust me, I am still _really_ pissed off at you right now... not as much as before though. But there is one thing you could do to speed up the process of calming my irritable like attitude you." I said

"What would that be?"

"Let me sleep for the day." Iris then narrowed her eyes.

"Just eat the food for Notch's sake."

* * *

She used that bed technique quite often and seemed to work every time. Well... that was until I learned the inventory could take up food. For a while I've been using that exploit before stopping out of guilt which I've never felt in years. Other than that we shared information about our world's history and culture. Despite my attempts to get more info about her Native-ish culture she would change topics and asked for history in my world. As soon as I got into the colonial era she's been wanting to hear my mid-quality lectures about the revolutionary war almost every time she visited.

As for Cupa, she seemed the type of person who was interested in two things: technology and music. Which in that combination was pretty much an instant friendship for me since those two things were the only things I did in my free time. She seemed very interested in the Prisma that Notch implanted inside me to prevent my death from the power loss in my A.I. unit. Together we found new ways to use it when it comes to practicing power transferring, to just fucking around and setting up an half hour show of holographic shaped particles like in those Samsung finger tutting advertisements. We did everything to the point this happened.

* * *

During the many times she visited we started our usual chat as always when it comes to news and future events. This was at a time when everyone was healthy and up and at 'em. So the only people in the house was Cupa and me since Victor decided to take the time to brush up with his medical research and visited the local library that we managed to lock down. While we were practicing my transfer to the point I could recharge my phone in a mere sixty seconds, Cupa took the time to go through my stuff to find my Dad's Pioneer DJ set up on a wooden desk located just in front of my bed, facing towards the window.

"H-... Hey Niko, what's this?" The Creeper asked.

"Hm? Oh those are turntables." I said.

"What are they used for?" Cupa once more asked.

"Manipulating music." I simply answered. "People use them to make your normal songs into their own, or to play music during concerts and performances."

"Can you teach me how to operate it?" She beamed

It took me somewhat a while to decide before smiling and agreeing. "Alright, but help me up okay?" I said as I extended my arm and waiting for Cupa's assistance. She eagerly took it and wrapped it on the back of her neck to support me. As soon as she sat me down I examined all the knobs and buttons to try to refresh my memory. "Volume controls right there." I pointed at four vertical switches located at the center, I then started to point at many others while giving the names of the functions. "Cues, effects, fader, play and pause button, and tempo also known as the BPM."

Cupa nodded her head. "Alright I think I understand."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Alright, but if you have any questions just ask." I informed while taking a USB and plugged it into the DJ system. I then gave my phone to Cupa. "Choose your song." I said as I placed my index finger on the system to transfer power.

After five minutes worth of Cupa swiping her thumb across the screen of the phone I felt something bugging me, like I forgot to mention something. It was at that moment I remembered, just when Cupa pressed play a loud boom of bass could be heard along with various sounds and vibrations of drums that would make you tingle with joy and energy. I forgot about the sound system in my room, it had four speakers which I set up in the corners of the room and one woofer which I put under the wooden desk. As for the song, I was not really surprised that the song was I Wanna by Matt and Kim, it suits her well along with her personality. Just as I was speechless at the moment Cupa said something that came out muffled.

"What?!" I asked. This time I heard her more clearly.

"This is amazing!" She laughed as she jumped up and down before pushing the chair I was sitting on slightly closer to the device. "Show me what you can do!" Said Cupa as the song was nearing it's end. I followed her request after going through my playlist for potential songs, before coming across two, I Will Be Here by Tiësto and the other, Feel So Good (Sogma Classic Edit) by Noisecontollers. Basically it was a weird combination I've never heard before, trance and electro. Seeing I had no time left I put the two in a queue and slowly turning the fader to the right to create a solid transition.

As the first song played through I couldn't help but notice my Prisma's circuit lines had various colors from teal, orange, green, and red flowing as pulses of light. It was not until the song's tempo started to pick up so did the pulses of colors on my arm, after a short period of time the floor beneath me started to glow red. As I looked down I caught a glimpse of a cubic like trail which started to expand through out the floor.

"Is that... redstone?" I made out Cupa's muffled words. I stopped to look at the glowing cubic trails spread on the walls. "Hey, it's following the beat of the song!" Cupa said as she witnessed the trails pulse brightly with every bass boom. Every time the songs were to slow down the 'redstone' trails faded into blue but when the song suddenly picked up the trail pulsed more faster all while fading into a bright orange.

* * *

Yeah... that light show was amazing. As more days passed by I grew more efficient at transferring energy to the point where I can power stuff without touching objects. To do it was somewhat difficult, I still have trouble performing it as of today, so far I've discovered one way to do it. One, focus the eternal energy to the palm of your hand to the point the triangle glows and forms a holographic cyan cube, next all you have to do is throw it like a baseball at the desired object, as soon as it makes the slightest contact such as a brush the cube comes to a dead stop at any angle you can think of before it's energy radiates on the device. One other thing that I found odd was that it pretty much defies gravity, so if I throw it up it will stay on course without falling to the floor.

From what else I've learned from Cupa's visits was that the Prisma is capable of doing beautiful stuff but at the same time one small movement could put someone's life in danger in an instant. I think it was the twentieth time she stopped by when I learned the deadly power of Prisma.

* * *

It was the fifth month since I injured myself, my arm was fully healed and for my leg I didn't need crutches anymore, only a steel walking cane. Despite that I grew into my old habits of staying in bed and being a lazy sack of shit.

Across the bed towards the wooden desk sat a creeper who was fiddling with knobs and switches from a Pioneer set. She seemed to be enjoying herself but after awhile she cocked her eyebrow before taking off her Sennheiser 280 HD headphones that formerly belonged to me. She then faced me.

"It's running out again, Niko." Said Cupa. Hearing that made me cover myself more with the blue blanket I had. Cupa tilted her head, "Niko?" says Cupa. I closed my eyes shut, does this count of me being a lazy fuck? Yep, but mostly when it comes to these scenarios the Prisma is just as much to blame since it requires energy depending on how much said object uses. And as you can tell Pioneers take a good substantial amount which just encourages me to avoid what you're seeing now. I heard a small screeching scrape across the floor with footsteps following. I then felt a very close presence in front of me.

_'Hey, do you think she'll buy it and walk out?' _I asked a voice deep in my mind.

"Niiiko." Said Cupa as I felt something small poke my left cheek.

_'...Guess not.' _a deep voice replied back.

_'God... damn it.' _I thought as the pokes continued.

_'So Notch, are there any other ways on how to use this? Like say... a knockout technique?'_

"Come on Niko, wake up." Cupa said only this time slightly shaking my head with her hand.

_'Well if I told you this might not be interesting as it seems now would it?' _The voice answered.

_'What a bro...' _I sarcastically thought, which earned a small laugh from Notch. Well he did pretty much say it was possible, now how to do it... I started to focus my last piece of energy for the day and focused it on my right hand towards my middle, index, and thumb. _'Tranquilizer maybe?'_

I heard a sigh from Cupa. "Come on, I know you're awake. Stop the act."

A yawn escaped from my mouth.

"Sorry, but the person you wish to speak to wants to be left the fuck alone. Try again later." I said as I rolled over, away from her.

"Please, just one more time." Cupa pleaded as shook me a bit harder.

As the constant shaking went further I formed my hand into a gun gesture before blindly aiming it behind me. Luckily Cupa moved at the last second right when I pulled down my thumb. "Bang." I said lazily as I thought the effect would knock her out... I learned that was not the desired effect when I heard a whizzing beam and a loud explosion.

"What the fuck!?" I said as I sprung up and looked behind me to see Cupa on the floor with wide eyes and my room door completely obliterated into pieces. Cupa and I were speechless at the moment, both of us slowly moved our heads to each other to make eye contact before breaking apart. "I-I'm sorry... that was not what I meant to do."

"I-It's f-fine. As long as no one got hurt." Cupa stuttered, starring at the blue carpeted floor.

Just then a barrage of muffled footsteps could be heard as it cleared up with every step.

"Nikolai! Cupa?!" Iris's muffled voice said. It was not until then when she starred at the remaining pieces of wood, then at Cupa and me. "Wha-?" was all she could make out. After that all of our eyes darted back and fourth at each other awkwardly for what seemed like hours.

"Could... you guys.. just leave me alone for today?" I requested as my hand rubbed my forehead.

"Huh? But you promised something about telling me about this forgotten war." Iris said as her wolf ears drooped in disappointment.

"Yes, the pointless war of 1812. I'm sorry but the more time I'm awake the more I feel like my brain cells committing suicide one-by-one by the second. And I could guarantee you it stings like a bitch." I said while climbing back on my bed.

"What? All you is lay in bed all day, how is that even possible?" Said Iris.

As seconds came by I felt my body get weaker, heavier. "Well that's just because..." This time a sharp pain could be felt at the back of my head, then my eyes seemed to go out of focus and blur obscured my vision before quickly adjusting. My right arm that was supporting me started to tremble. "...Because." It was at that time I found myself breathing at a rather fast rate. Another hand full of seconds led to a sharp pain in my chest. After that moment I don't remember any more details other than seeing Iris's and Cupa's blue and amber eyes widen before darkness filled the ceiling.

A radioed female voice filled my mind, along with my HUD.

_'Systems failing. Status... catastrophic. Impetus... unknown. Attempting hardware fail-safe procedures... Failed. Project subject... presumed deceased. Reporting results. Time lived: 7 Years 9 Months 24 Days. Expectations exceeded. Emergency prototype experiment... Successful... Thank you for testing Epsilon 09 Type: Foxtrot.'_

At these last few words I drifted off.

***Four days later***

I coughed before slowly opening my eyes to see darkness. "Where the hell am I?" I weakly said as I tried to comprehend my current position. _'I'm... laying down? What else.' _I thought. As much as I tried to move my body the only response I managed to get was the tips of my fingers and a little of my left leg. Through out a long session of slight movements I made my conclusion. _'All right with all I've done so far I think this is another mental world... but why am I floating?' _Just then I heard some sort of bang, along with a few muffled murmurs.

"Bullshit. He is not dead he can't be!"

"Iris, hold him back."

"How long?! Why was I not informed? huh?!"

"I'm sorry John but he is dead, we did the best we could."

_'Dead? How th- what?'_

"Fuck you Victor, I may have lost so much of my family already but damn it I am not losing him!"

I heard another person walk through the room.

"Alright what's going on here?" I heard a familiar Ukrainian accent. A small silence followed.

"John, sor-"

"Shut it, you're the last person I want to hear that from."

_'Wait if I'm still alive so is my A.I. that means... Activate! Visuals on! Weird... vision system, turn on... Eh screw it, seems like I'll be blind forever.'_

"Damn it John, we don't need CSI Miami to tell what his condition is!" Iris said.

"What? How do you know that show? there's no satellite TV anymore." John said.

_'Ha! You'd be surprised what a lucky throw could do. Oh! That's right, on command... command...'_

After many attempts I thought about giving up until...

_'Monitor Activate.'_

The same radioed voice from my previous 'death' responded.

_'Acknowledged, preparing calibration sequence.'_

An Abstergo looking background filled my vision along with an all too familiar logo I had in my mind since when they installed my A.I. The logo looked like two futuristic-like blue energy mech wings, and under it read _'AG-Systems'_

_'Hm. Who knew... Weapons and A.I. units. What kind of Corporation is this?'_

_'Look up.'_ The voice ordered, along with a red blinking indicator. As I slowly looked up the indicator flashed green. _'Look down.' _I repeated this process until the end, when I completed the calibration one last screen came up that said _'Welcome Back'_ before whiteness suddenly obscured my simulated vision before slowly focusing on my current position. The first thing I saw was the ceiling fan, that was all it took to know where I was.

_'Kitchen table huh? Floating... meh. Close enough. Alright! now... speaking.'_

No matter how much I tried a word just couldn't seem to come out, all that came out was a small, "ah..."

"What the... fuck?" Victor said.

"Did he just-" Iris started.

"Spoke." John finished before sighing out of relief.

"A little... help, can't... breathe right." I managed to say with desperate gasps. As the words broke them back into reality, Victor quickly rustled around the living room before getting an item I couldn't see.

"And I believe... I'm your doctor... kinda." He said as he put something that covered both, my nose and mouth. As soon as he pushed it down with a bit of pressure a gust of fresh air flowed to my lungs.

"How are... you alive? I felt your..." I saw Iris's face come into view. She was not crying, but her eyes were a bit watery.

"What do you mean? The hell happened." I took another gasp of air.

"A... miracle." Victor said, astonished. "Your pulse has suddenly stopped for four days and here you are breathing."

"I think your exaggerating there."

"Nikolai, it's unheard of. I bet if this apocalypse did not happen, You would go down in history." Said Tarkov.

"Wow..." I said amazed.

"Yeah, isn't that amazing?"

"Huh? Oh, no not that."

"What do you mean?" Iris tilted her head.

"That is the longest sentence I've ever heard from you, Tarkov." I said trying to ease everyone up.

Iris's ears stood up in realization. "Wow come to think of it, you're right." She sniffled with a slight smile.

"Heh... heh." I heard John laugh a bit.

Tarkov looked at us. "What?" He said as I myself gave a slight chuckle before laying my head back, gazing at the wooden ceiling beyond the fan.

_'Ah... good to see you're up and well.' _The voice of Notch filled my head.

_'Well? yeah, up? Not yet. Explanation please.'_ I thought.

_'Your first respawn.' _Notch simply answered. _'First one's on the house. Don't t__hink for a second you're immortal, only one could be used per three months. If you are killed within those three next time there will be no "Miracle" to save you.'_

I ended up gulping. _'Yeah, I understand.'_

* * *

After that I've worked my last two recovery months as the militia's armorer when John was busy, and when he was there he showed me each and every firearm we had in store. As soon as I recognized all of them he taught me how they function, how to assemble and reassemble parts, and how to clean them. And momentarily he taught me how to attach items such as stocks, optics, flashlights and lasers, and also silencers. And occasionally I get requests from Yuri to explain how to operate firearms.

* * *

As I grabbed a stock-less KAC PDW along with a magazine I put it on the counter in front of me. "One more time." I began, grabbing the unloaded mag. "To fire, turn off the safety located here." I pointed at the select fire switch. "Turn it only one dial, the second one will turn on the automatic fire."

"Got it... but why this is much smaller than the other rifles? What is it?"

"Knight's Armament Company's Personal Defense Weapon. As you can see here PDW's have a more compact frame that uses pistol-like caliber barrels, this gives them an advantage in close range combat especially with the rate of fire." I then continued on to the main summary of why I gave her this weapon. "Your going to the Alta district right"

"Yep." Yuri said while fiddling around with the sling and mimicking a bow with the rifle.

I rested two fingers on my forehead before speaking. "You know, I'm not forcing you to use that, if you want to use a bow, use a bow." I reassuringly said. Yuri simply shook her head.

"No, if I can't learn how to use the weapons in this world why bother going out when others have the advantage?" Said Yuri.

"I don't see why you're limiting your arsenal like this, just use whatever suits you best." I said while examining a FN Five-Seven until an idea struck. "Hold on, and don't move." I said as I looked through the crates and cabinets of the armory. "Where is it? I put it around here somewhere." I then stepped on something that made a clank noise. "Ah, here it is." I said to myself. Going to the window I presented the weapon to Yuri.

"What is this?" The skeleton asked.

"You said you wanted to learn how to handle weapons in this world right? So here you are, its called a multi-shot crossbow."

"Really? How does it work?" Said Yuri as she examined the bow from where she was standing.

"Lever action bow which re-draws the bow for you, all complete with an eight count arrow sideways magazine." I said while pulling down the lever to show her where it's at. "Now that I think of it, packing heat with a PDW in Alta seems a bit overkill... give it here." I ordered while extending my arm.

"But..."

"I'm not asking you, Yuri. give me that firearm." I opened my hand. Yuri eventually pouted before putting the gun in my hand.

"Okay, but what is this Alta district exactly?" The silver haired girl asked.

"Surely you would know by now." I started. "It's a safe zone built by us and a few other groups. After an agreement for the sake of survival we decided to take back the city and split it up in all sorts of districts in which are controlled by the more powerful local militias and with it means their own set of rules depending on the faction."

"And Alta is controlled by whom?"

"Patriots." I answered. "This district is one of their more 'poor' zones so when going there you might as well look the part."

"Will my own clothes do?" Yuri asked

"Depends, what does it make you look like?"

"The ordinary for humanoid skeletons, though when I first came here, people insisted I change into something else."

"Why?"

"They said it showed too much skin."

"Meaning?" I once more asked

"It was too revealing and shameless."

"Alright... not the best idea then. You know what? since that district is marine and is in a area of lakes I suggest wearing an Alpha fishtail parka along with a wrinkled shirt, denim jeans and your usual boots."

"Right... I dont know what this alpha thing is."

"A water proof coat, used for fishing as the name gives out. Also it belonged to my dad so I guess you can have it in the meantime."

"Thank you."

I sighed before bringing the Five-Seven out.

"Huh?"

"Well... in case if you get into serious trouble, this'll scare them off after a few shots." Yuri gave out a warm childish smile before taking the pistol slowly and examined it until she found that there was no magazine in the firearm, at that moment I brought out the mag she was looking for. And as she reached for it I drew my hand back a bit.

"Due to regulations I would usually fill this thing up to five bullets... but in your case I doubled it up to a full magazine." I said as I looked at Yuri's expression, it looked as if she wanted to hug me. I tipped the clip towards her. "First one's free. Now if you could excuse me I'll be taking my break now." I then opened the half-door fully and grabbed my steel cane, but just as I started to walk off I felt slender arms wrap around my torso and with it a cushion feeling sensation pressed my back. As I gained my senses I felt color rising in my cheeks.

"W-Whoa, h-hey... what is this?" I stammered. _'Welp... so much for a calm response.'_

"A thanks!" Yuri chirped.

"W-Well, you don't have to do this." I stuttered.

"Oh?" Yuri mischievously said as she pressed on the hug. "Or is it that you've never been hugged by a girl before?"

"Oh please, many girls hugged me before, this is... nothing." Silence followed. "Eh screw it, yes... you're the first to do this to me." I admitted. "Now um... could you please.. let go?"

"What? Not going to hug back? I'm surprised. Back home the boys would kill each other for this chance." Yuri said in a taunting tone.

"Glad I wasn't there." I retorted avoiding her challenge.

Yuri giggled before releasing me

"Missed your chance, there might not be a next one." She smiled as she walked off.

_'That... just happened.'_

* * *

**Present Day.  
10/03/2017, 07:21:34 PM  
No PoV**

And so here we are, in the back of the highschool, on the open field where football players used to train. Nikolai being tested by Victor and observed by Cupa, Iris, Yuri, and Tarkov.

"It's too soon, we should wait a little longer." Murmured Iris.

"Alright, try walking." Victor said.

Slowly Nikolai stepped with his left leg then on to his right, he winced at the pain but kept his bearing.

"There's just no way..." Yuri said.

"No, he _will_... he has to." Said Cupa who had clutched hands close to her chest.

"Run." Ordered Victor.

This time he could feel the pain fully, As he let out pained gasps Nikolai then heard the crushing sound of grass to the side of him, he turned his head to see Cupa. "Come on, faster!" She ordered.

Iris shook her head then turned to Victor. "You have to stop this, he's not ready for this yet."

Victor glanced at Iris for a moment then back at Nikolai who hit the ground hard. Iris hissed at the sight, and just imagined what kind of pain Nikolai went through.

* * *

Suggested Background Music: The Eden Project - Kairos

* * *

As for Cupa, she still continued on with her pep-talk. "Get up! Please, for all these months all you have done is just lay there in bed!"

"I... know." Nikolai gasped.

"Do you? because what I see here is your chance to show people you can rise up to the task!"

"I'm aware of this..."

"So what are you waiting for? Mom and Dad to cover for you? Shit man, You were right about yourself."

Nikolai huffed before replying. "And?" Cupa glared sharply into the boy's silver eyes

"You're not a robot, you are a damn drama queen! You have been complaining for the longest time that you wanted to help pull your own weight, but now when you have that opportunity to show your worth here you are! Pathetic!" _**(Vocals from the song begin here)**_

Nikolai just looked at her with the corner of his eye, dazed by the creeper's outburst.

"Now here's the bullshit part that pisses me off, on that day when you left me you said that you could not stand the idea of doing nothing... that you would take that risk. So where is he now... HUH?!" Silence followed. "Answer me!" Cupa found herself yelling. She gritted her teeth before coldly waving her hand and walking away.

As Victor watched the scene he slowly brought up a red flare to signal failure. But as he took the cap off he closely studied Nikolai.

When she walked off Nikolai gritted his teeth and clutched his hands to rip the grass that surrounded him. As anger roared inside of him he could feel energy pulsing through his body. His pulses from his Prisma then flashed rapidly through the circuit lines and with it, the light intensified. Then, Nikolai's eyes faded into cyan and illuminated in the sunset.

"I'm right here." Nikolai grunted. Along with that sentence a violent gust of wind exploded through the field, shaking all the trees around and sending leaves flying everywhere.

Cupa stumbled to the ground at the sudden burst and quickly looked behind her.

"Oh shit..." Tarkov exclaimed.

"Who... what is he?" Yuri said, astonished at the sight.

Victor just looked in awe, speechless.

What they were looking at was Nikolai's new... wings. Nikolai looked behind him and examined them, they looked like bright blue glowing fragments of glass shards and seemed to be floating very close to his back, positioned slightly upward shaped like wings of a sun phoenix. A new sensation filled his whole body, he felt as if he was weightless.

"Wings that are made of ark huh?" Said Nikolai as he took a step back and did an about-face to face Cupa. _'Let's give this a try.'_ He thought. Just as Niko took a step he saw the whole world pause and along with it the sound faded away, only the whisper of the whir of wind remained. It was just like his emergency protocol but only this time he could move freely. As Nikolai jogged towards the girl who was sitting on the grass he couldn't help but noticing a neon trail of a circuit pattern behind him, it was not long before he noticed his entire body, every time he runs or jogs he renders into light, keeping his shape. Taking a mental note of this, Nikolai then kneeled to where Cupa was at.

Time and sound then restored itself. Around Nikolai's general area glowing dust particles illuminated the area. Cupa crawled back a little by the surprise.

"Here I am." Nikolai said with a smile. Cupa's eyes widened and with it her usual open smile, she laughed.

"He's back!" She yelled towards the observers.

Victor glanced at Iris. "Well, I guessed he is cleared, huh?"

Iris exposed a smile. "Yes." She said. "I guess he is." She enjoyed the view, looking at her companions cheering at one's full recovery.

* * *

**Meanwhile: In a dark dimension known as the Void**

"He has... fully recovered your majesty." A cubed zombie informed.

"I see... and Notch has given him the blessing as well. No matter, at the moment we have more important matters to tend to."

"But sir, we must rid this human now. Or who knows what could hap-"

"Are you questioning your deity's actions?!" Herobrine furiously asked.

"N-No! Not at all, I'm just suggesting we take cautious procedures on this specimen, to not make the same mistakes as we did towards Steve."

"No, dont you _ever _mention his name again!" Barked Herobrine. Then taking a second to calm down he spoke.

"How is progress?"

"We have managed to give those humans a big stumble, your plan is working. Their leaders are confirmed dead by our mobs."

"Great. Anything else?"

"Yes, despite their leaders being killed, it seems as if they are grouping together. Not other than that but it seems we have underestimated their technology."

"How so?" The white-eyed man asked.

"They're... extraordinary. Never before have we come across a world where knowledge flourishes. They have weapons that are like portable TNT cannons, machines that could soar in mid air, machines that surveillance the whole planet!"

"And despite that we killed their top leaders so easily..."

"Well to be fair, we had the quantity. They had the quality."

"I guess I can see that."

"Any further orders, your majesty?" The zombie asked.

"No, we'll continue at this rate until our next step, you would be surprised for their knowledge they destroy each other out of panic and fear, they're practically helping us push their extinction."

"Yes sir, as for the blessed one?"

"Like I said, he is not of interest at the moment, In the meantime just torment him with his past."

"Yes, your majesty!" The zombie said as he walked off.

* * *

**Notch's PoV**

I scratched my beard as I looked at the group.

"You think you chose the right person?" A voice could be heard behind me.

"Yes, I'm sure of it." I rested my eyes for a moment. "Have you found him yet, Jeb?"

"Oh come on, it's me." Jeb said. "Right now he is located in what they call The Great Pains, and yes... he's in Texas."

"How is he?"

"A rude awakening, a _very_ rude awakening. Probably doesn't know what the nether is going on, or how things work on this planet."

"Guide him." I simply ordered.

"Where?"

"San Antonio." I answered.

"I think you overestimate my abilities."

"Oh come on, it's _you_ we're talking about." I firmly said.

Jeb let out a exasperated sigh. "Fine I'll... find a way to get through his head. And you can at least look at me when we're talking." He said as he walked off.

"Prepare yourself Jeb... this is just the beginning." I sighed as I took one last glance of the group before taking my leave.

* * *

**Thank you Nox Frontius for following during the development of this chapter!**


	10. Bonus Chapter 2: Rin

**To be honest, I've been writing this on the side during the development of Chapter 8. So enjoy your 3k word bonus chapter!**

**Bonus Chapter: Rin**

**11/5/2015, 12:14:08 AM**

_**Nikolai PoV**_

The schoolbell's ring filled the bland classroom and along with it multiple sounds of shuffling of papers and zippers can be heard, the teacher located at his desk cleared his throat before speaking. "The bell does not dismiss you, I do." He warned.

_'Really? Then why do we have a damn bell in the first place?' _I thought for this would probably be the trend for all teachers I've had.

"Before you go, please come up and pick up your graded test when I call your name." He then began. "Gonzalez, Torres, Ramirez..." This continues until he calls me. "Miles." I slowly get out of my seat before walking forward to his desk. He hands me my paper, before walking off without saying anything he taps my shoulder. "Hold on Miles, I'm not finished with you just yet." He says in one of those frustrated teacher-like tones.

_'Heh, he's going to rip me a new one.' _I think. "Y-Yes? what is it?" I ask, faking a smile.

"You know, I've noticed something about you."

"What would that be, sir?"

"Well, for one, your the most quietest student I think I've ever had In my career."

"I... like to stay under the radar." I hesitantly say. _'Where is he getting at?'_

"So what of your scores so far? Out of a four day test warning surely someone your age would think of joining up with a study group, maybe... come to tutorials." He says while moving his hands in multiple gestures out of habit.

"But I... I'm anti-"

"Which brings me to my other point." He interrupts which I admit, it kinda pisses me off. "You're independent, you only rely on yourself... you don't work with any of the other students. Why's that?"

"Well, sir. It's because I prefer to be alone." I hesitate before whispering. "Besides, I'm pretty sure no one wants to work with this... _robot_."

"Heh, normal gossip has got you down? Don't worry that'll just burn out in a couple of days." He says with a reassuring smile. Well... I _could_ just tell him this has been going on since first grade... but that will just probably lead to unneeded scenarios.

"I... It's complicated, sir. So in the meantime I'll just study alone, thank you." I say as I get up and sling my backpack over my shoulder

"The re-test will be tomorrow, Miles." The teacher said before looking at the students then back at me. "By the way if you think you can live life running away from the fact you need someone to depend on, I suggest running faster boy." I hear him say behind me.

Algebra... It's always damn algebra that never fails to make your highschool life a living hell... well.. at least for me. I look around the classroom and all I see is the majority of the people smiling at each other and holding up their papers that either have B- or that occasional A+ motherfucker! now go out there and cure cancer! And then there's me... 48/100... fuck. I crumble the paper in my one free hand before tossing it outside the door in frustration.

As I walk out the door I instantly get flooded in the hoards of students trying to get to the cafeteria. Normally the average teen would go eat with his friends and talk about whatever the hell is going on in the mainstream media lately. But for me I have the most typical place that's isolated and easily the best comfortable spot for a lone wolf such as myself, the library.

As I walk past the cafeteria I make a right, walking down the hall until I see a set of two glass doors. When I walk in I'm greeted by the school's librarian, Ashley. She was quite young for a librarian, probably was in her early twenties

"Hey, Ash." I greet, giving her the usual nickname. "Did that person turn in that book yet?" Ash smiles, as she pulls a book from a cart.

"Yep!" She says in her usual friendly mood before handing it over.

"Thanks." I say as I walk towards a small table in a nice quiet area in the rather big library. When I sit down I put on my Bose earbuds and play Iron by Woodkid before settling down and cracking open a book.

at least five chapters in I feel a tap that nearly startles me. I turn around to see a girl, she was outfitted in a black track jacket and a pink nylon shirt which was tucked in black shorts along with a D-ring belt and light grey running shoes. In my opinion her hair seemed like the most distinct feature since it was cut short and had a bang on one side and had a dark red tint to it, basically her hair looked exactly like Ruby Rose's from RWBY which in a way blew my mind. I then took out one of my earbuds. "Y-Yes?" I say.

"Um... yeah are you Nikolai?" The girl asked with a shy tone.

"Yeah, why?"

"You dropped this." The girl said as she presented a crumbled sheet of paper.

_'What...? What the f-... Wha- What IS this?! Are you even trying to- People clearly saw me throw tha- screw it.' _As much as I tried to hold it in I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm sorry but... you're wasting your time with me. Also that paper is of no value." I said, calming down. "You can just throw it away." I say as I move my eyes towards the book. But my reading was slightly interrupted by the sound of crumbled paper.

"Quadratics huh?" I heard the girl's voice to my right, along with the sound of a chair which threw me off guard as soon as I noticed she was sitting next to me.

"Y-Yeah..." I stuttered. _'Nice one...' _I thought before speaking. "I'm sorry but who are you?"

The girl looked at me before flashing a warm smile. "Rin." She simply said. "You don't know your own classmates?"

"Oh, no. It's not that it's just..." I leaned to my left casually to avert my gaze and think of an excuse. But as I did this I catch a glimpse of Ashley looking at my general direction. That was until she saw me and exposed a mischievous smile, after that I knew exactly how Rin was able to find me. Taking the opportunity I mimicked my lips _"What... the fuck?"_

"I... prefer to be alone." I said, unconsciously telling the truth. After that sentence I could just feel my mind raging and calling me an idiot... even Ash raised her hand to facepalm.

"Hm, is that so? You don't have any friends?"

"W-Well..." I said but got distracted by Ashley. Her eyes seemed to gleam with hope and started making gestures. Wait... is she trying to cover for me? She held up a blank paper with only three capitalized words: JUST SAY THIS. It said, she continued to make more gestures. I slowly started to mindlessly de-crypt her movements

"To be... honest... I wish... you... could be... that ... special... someone?" I mindlessly said, which apparently was perfect according to Ash's two hands signalling a thumbs up... Wait... I slowly looked to my left at Rin. The girl was straight up giving me that awkward look, and what seemed like a faint shade of pink on her face. _'WHAT THE FUCK?!' _I screamed in my mind.

"Eh, heh, heh. Um." Was all she could make out.

I quickly stood up from my chair. "O-Oh, heh. L-Look at the t-time!" I said hysterically and said the next sentence quickly before running out the library. "G-Got to go bye!"

As I walked quickly trough the hallway I released a bombardment of slaps across my forehead. "You fucking... IDIOT!" I said.

I heard the door squeak behind me along with a feminine voice behind me. "Hey, wait up!" Rin's voice said. _'Oh shit... corner... corner...' _I thought. As soon as I corner turned up I rushed in the cafeteria and immediately tried to blend in. Taking a grey nylon jacket with orange accents along a hood from an abandoned chair I zipped it on and pulling the hood over my cap (Yes, he's still wearing it due to "personal reasons") before stepping in a dense line. And taking out my phone's camera I switched it to self portrait mode to see Rin in the center of the cafeteria looking around before asking bystanders.

"What the heck, is that my jacket?" A guy next to me in the line said as he pointed at me. What are the chances?!

"H-Huh? Oh this? Nah I got it on... E bay." I said.

"I know that's not true." The student said.

"Why's that?"

"It's not sold online... its custom ordered." He said with a suspicious glare.

"Be a bro..." I faintly said.

"What?"

"Just go along with it!" I softly grunted.

"Why?"

"Look man, I'm avoiding someone okay? A little longer, please."

"Who?" He asked once more.

I sighed in frustration. "The girl asking around, black track jacket, pink shirt, red tinted hair. Behind and slightly to the right of us."

"Her? Damn, she looks cute. You're hiding from her?"

"Yeah whatever, please just shut up for a sec okay?" A silence followed.

"What's in it for me?" The boy said.

"What?" I said. He just replied by looking at me.

"Oh, you son of a-" I unzipped the jacket and threw it in his face. I then slowly crept out of the line, as soon as I reached the end the guy's voice could be heard amid the lunch chatter.

"Hey!" He said. I turned my head towards him.

"Wha-" I stopped myself when I saw his index finger pointed in my direction. Then looked towards what he was looking at... or rather _who _he was looking at. Rin and I looked at each other's eyes for a short while, mine with her orange eyes, and her's in my silver artificial eyes. As she took a step forward I took a small step back.

"Please, just..." She soothingly started. I then looked around me, seems like we got the attention of the whole lunchroom. At this rate every fiber in my being tingled with anxiety. As Rin opened her mouth to speak she got interrupted by a booming voice on the intercom.

"Nikolai C. Miles please report to the councilor's office now." Wow... never in my life have I thought I would actually be glad they called me. "Also... Rin M. Lee, please come as well." ...Fuck.

I made my way back towards the library. "Hey, wait." I heard the girl's voice. "The office is that way, where are you going?" I paused my pace.

"Going back to get my book." I spoke without looking behind me.

"You don't have to, it's right here." Rin said as she went through her light brown messenger bag to bring out a grey book.

"Going back to get my backpack..." Just as I walked off a soft hand wrapped around my left wrist and along with it an odd sensation rippled through my body. Without another word she pretty much dragged me to the councilor's office.

**1:01:45**

Well, one moment my day was just like any other and now... I'm here. Sitting next to my former pursuer and facing towards the councilor of the school.

"Well..." The councilor began, adjusting her glasses. "Do you know why you're here Nikolai?" She asked.

"No, Mrs. Phillips... not really." I nonchalantly said.

"Oh, really? let me jog your memory." Phillips said, getting out a sheet of paper. "Biology: seventy-two, Writing: sixty-seven, English: seventy, Algebra 2: ...fifty-two. Getting the idea?"

"Oh, so _that's _what this is about." I said calmly.

"I'm serious Nikolai, you're smarter than this. Your teachers could see it along with your elders, _you_ need to se-"

"See what?" I blurted out rather sharply while getting up from my seat. "That I'm this _huge _prodigy you say I am, huh?! In case you haven't noticed those are boarder line failing grades. Now tell me this, does that look like the work of a genius? The work of someone who will supposedly change the world with their superior mind?"

"We could make you that person if only you could just-"

"Just what?" I chuckled coldly. "I'm tired of this school always trying to tell me what to do when they don't know a damn thing about me, like they know my problems."

"I'm not going pretend to know what your going through, Nikolai. But I do know that it's hard and painful, so just please, sit down." Philips ordered irritably.

"Oh yeah, and one more thing, why the hell is she here?" I pointed at Rin who was shocked at the sudden outburst.

"She's your new friend." Phillips answered before facing Rin. "I'm sorry about that he's not this... well.._ this_."

"Ah... yeah, I understand." Said Rin.

Ignoring that sentence I continued my question. "New friend?"

Phillips cleared her throat. "Yes, due to your recent grades, the school and your mother decided on taking this form of action to help you achieve greater limits."

"Please.. just save the speech words for later, tell me what's going on here."

"Just as I said, Nikolai. Meet your new friend."

"Heh, heh... No." I said.

"Wha- what do you mean no?" Rin asked.

"I didn't need friends before, and sure as hell don't need one now." I said once again standing up to leave.

"Let me rephrase that Miles, you _will_ have Miss. Lee here as your companion." Phillips said in a more scary tone.

_'Oh that's cute. Think that voice is going to work? Hate to brake it to you but I'm not a kid anymore, but still since there's no way out of this... bring it.' _I cleared my throat.

"Fine... whatever." I said as I crossed my arms.

"I'm surprised you're acting like this in the first place." Phillips snapped. "A lot of guys would kill for this opportunity, for a chance to befriend a beautiful girl such as her." She then smiled mischievously. "Unless... you're not straight that is."

"Hm... I think I'd kill to be one of the guys who'd like to be in my place."

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway since next period is starting I suggest you take your leave."

"Yes, ma'am." Rin firmly said as she stood up.

"Oh, about the coming field trip to Boston, you two going?"

"Yep!" Rin said as she brought out a packet from her messenger.

"And you, Nikolai?"

"B-... Busy." I lowered my cap to cover my eyes.

Phillips opened her mouth to speak but then closed it. "Yeah, I understand. Well, off you go."

I stood up from my seat and walked out the door, out into the hall. I then put two of my fingers on my forehead when I heard small skids, up until I felt a presence to my left. "You know, you can leave me alone now. You dont have to stay around me if you dont want to."

Rin shook her head. "No, they're not making me do this, I chose to."

"So what, they told you about me and you decided to help?"

"Not that either, I asked them about you."

"What?"

"I noticed you in class... I dont know, you just looked so.. distant, detached... lonely."

"Bien, desde que uno de mis padres murieron..." I said in Spanish but stopped myself.

"Huh?" Rin tilted her head.

"Nothing. Forget I said anything, and that includes what I said in the library." I said as we neared the stairwell.

"O-Oh... well s-sorry I'll have to de-" As her cheeks started to heat up I interrupted her.

"That wasn't true." I firmly said.

"What do you mean?" Rin stopped at the first step of stairs

"It was fake, truth is... I want nothing to do with you. And I could assure you, you _will_ not want anything to do with _me_ if you try to get into a friendship." I nonchalantly said as my voice got weak as the sentence progressed. I took a few steps up Rin's voice stopped me.

"Stop it..." She said.

"What?"

"Stop doing this to yourself... Please." She vaguely answered.

A silence followed until I replied. "I dont know what you're talking about." I firmly said as I continued climbing the stairs. That was... until Rin took hold of my arm.

"Please just tell me what's wrong. I could see your sorrow, I don't know your pain but I could tell you that you can stop this. You don't have to suffer in this cage any longer, let me help you." She said as her gaze looked deep into my eyes.

I brushed her hand off of me. "You are wasting your time." I said a bit sharply, then walked off.

"Fine..." Said Rin

_'Finally, got her off of me. Now onto business as usual.'_

She pointed her index finger at me suddenly. "I guess if this is how you want to play it I'll just have to rescue the real Nikolai no matter the cost!" She yelled.

I flinched. "Th- the hell are you talking about? I'm right here. And for god's sake lower your voice! You're bringing unwanted attention." I whispered at the last part.

"Don't worry, I'll break your cage in no time, I can promise you that!" She declared.

"Whatever." I sighed.

***Next Class***

As history class went on I kept my usual posture, taking notes along with drinking water.

"Thus, on the night of December the twenty-fifth, George Washington led his troops across the Delaware river and-"

"Teacher!" Rin's hand shot up, giving her the whole class'es attention.

"Hm? Yes, Lee?"

"I'd like to change seats." Rin firmly said.

"Oh? To where?"

"The seat in front of Niko-Chan please." She bowed her head. This brought a lot of whispers from classmates. As for me, as I heard this I choked.

After coughing I quickly objected. "Why?! you're on the front row!"

Rin however narrowed her eyes and smiled coyly at me. "Exactly. How can I sit here knowing a person in this class forgot their glasses?" I flinched slightly.

"Huh?"

"Isn't that right Tor-San?"

_'Tor-Sa-... Eric?'_

"U-Um, yeah but I'm fine wher-" The brown-haired boy wearing a Halo shirt in front of me then got interrupted.

"Nonsense." Rin said as she stood up and pulled out her chair in a inviting manner. "I insist."

"O... kay?" Eric said, confused at the events happening.

Smiling, Rin skipped toward the seat in front of me and sat facing me.

"What's with the Japanese honorifics?" I irritably murmured.

"Oh that's right, since we are friends from now on I guess you should know I was born and raised in Japan." Rin beamed. "You? Judging by your use of language a while ago I'm sure you have your own heritage yes?"

After a while I noticed the whole class looking at us, along with some guys giving off a glare. I then faced Rin and gave off a stupid looking fake smile.

"I-I'm Hispanic." I said before exclaiming. "Observant huh?"

"Which will make my promise much easier to fulfill." Said Rin confidently.

"You seem a bit too sure." I retorted.

"Because when I make a promise I _will_ complete it, no matter the situation."

I coldly chuckled. "Alright then, bring it on."

"With pleasure." Rin said, holding a three-finger sign with her thumb, index, and middle finger.

_'Well... if people did not know my name before they sure as hell know it now. same goes for jealousy I think. But seriously... Just who the hell are you, Rin?'_


	11. Chapter 9: Rude Awakening

**Well, it's been one week and all I have is two OCs and four more to go for future chapters. At this rate I'm probably going to have to extend the date... Anyway, OCs will be featured next chapter.**

**Review ****Responses:**

**GoldBlockIngot: Really? Not what I expected to remind someone of, but thank you for the positive feedback!**

**Ninjagorulz: Yeah... It would be a shame if someone "Accidentally" pushed something while fighting in the 'War Room' and launched something like that. But seriously, you've never read anything mob talker related but this? I guess I'm honored being one of the few writers you enjoy that features that mod.**

* * *

**Chapter 9:**** Rude**** Awakening**

**Dawn time. In Minecraft, at a local village on a rainy night.**

_**Unknown**** PoV **_**(They're in block form by the way)**

I coughed out blood as soon as a feral punch impacted against my jaw. After that I felt two other forces push me against the wooden wall of the bar and pin me to it. I then opened my eyes to see a clutched fist curving from the left, I moved my neck to the right to hear the bashing sound of wood and with it a small gust of wind from the missed punch.

"Ugh... damn. That settles our wager, you _do _hit like a silverfish." I taunted, which earned me a punch to the gut. I grunted as I got the wind knocked out of me.

"And you're soft as a sheep." Retorted the man dressed in an elegant suit in light grey. He threw another at my chest. "You should of just watched your mouth if you knew what was best for you!" I barely dodged his next attack.

"Really?" I said as I quickly wrapped my hand around the hand of the guy to my right before jamming my thumb in a common pressure point.

"Ah! You fuck!" The thug screamed, loosening his grip. Taking the small window opportunity I yanked my hand out of the thug's grip before using the remaining momentum to tighten my fist and punching the other guy who was pinning my left hand in the eye. After that I stretched out my hand and blindly swung it to the back of me, chopping the other guy's Adam's Apple. He made a choking sound as he fell to the ground.

The guy who was using dirty tactics took a step back while witnessing his friends get knocked out. I slowly moved to my left.

I went into my fighting stance. "Not so tough now are ya?" I taunted. The elegant dressed man let out a growl before dashing full-speed at me, I gritted my teeth into a grin. As he came into range he used all his strength into a punch towards my chest. I swiftly sidestepped to my right, dodging his attack before taking an iron grip of his left arm and my right hand towards his chest area. I then used all my strength to hurl him towards the nearby window of the saloon. His scream was easily drowned out by the sound of broken glass as he broke through like a stone. I smiled even more when I heard the sound of a table being crushed and the shocked gasps and pandemonium inside.

"Heh, heh..." I chuckled before walking away before throwing an apology letter through the broken glass panes. I dusted the mud off of my baby blue shirt and purple jeans, before slightly limping my way towards my house. jumping on the small one-block hills on the way, and looking at the glowstone street lamps. As I made it to my home I opened the rectangular wooden door and stepped in to shelter me from the drops of rain outside.

After closing the door I made my way to my chest to pull out leftovers of steak I cooked in the morning. I walked to my homemade table and let my block-ish hand run down my face before taking a bite and looking out the window to see the guy I threw stumble out of the bar's front door. "Oh, forgot to mention to you, my name's Steve." I said as I took another bite. Eh, after Herobrine's defeat my name has formed to a legend, 'The Demon Hunter' Some village once called me. I enjoyed the fame for a while, but what people dont know is that they do not know his true story. It was fucked up on his behalf, taking that unnecessary step, but in a way, once you think about it you could understand. Ever since then I never told villages my name, and when they asked I gave them a fake.

To be honest, I'm bored, Notch man, I can't even go outside without getting in a fight like the one awhile ago. Mining is just not what it used to be mostly because I mine for materials that I dont even need. And I dont know if it's just me or there are less and less mobs out there like they used to, not other than that but it seems like they get weaker everyday. I dont even remember the last time I ended up seeing a mutant.

It was at that moment I broke out from my thoughts to see a slight glint of light at the corner of my eye in the distance, I sat there and gazed at it for the longest time. "What the neth-" I got interrupted by a distant loud explosion, and a whizzing sound followed by the sound of shattering glass. I fell to the ground from what felt like a very hot punch through my chest which knocked the wind out of me. Paralyzed, my mind started overflowing with thoughts due to shock along with my rapidly beating heart, signalling I was in near-death territory, and from the looks of it. It's getting worse by the second. _'Is this how I might actually die?'_ I thought. _'Damn, I dont even know what I got hit by and I'm going to my death this easily.'_

Just then, my door creaked open. Reveling a man dressed in a grey shirt which had a black sling diagonal, carrying something on his back, he wore black trousers along with a belt with what looked like an iron buckle. In his black gloved hands looked like an iron object I've not seen before, but from what it looks like it does not seem friendly. No matter how much I tried to move I just stayed there, laying on my chest, letting out shallow breaths.

A boot made it's way under my shoulder before lifting up, flipping me over, giving me a clear sight of the intruder. He had brown skin along with a pair of silver eyes. I tried to speak but all that came out were weak moans of pain. All I did was lay there helplessly staring menacingly in his distant and slightly illuminated silver eyes. Without another second he brought up the iron object and pointed it at my chest.

"Find Nikolai." He nonchalantly said.

"Wha-" I managed to say but got interrupted by another bang and a hot punch which seemed to pierce straight into my heart. Everything went white from there along with the bang still ringing in my ears, after awhile darkness consumed the light until nothing but blackness remained.

* * *

**Present Day  
10/04/2017, 07:56:21 PM  
**

I took a rather large breath before opening my eyes to see the blue sky, something was off about it though. Clouds are usually cubic but now... they seem to have various shapes and sizes. I looked around from where I laid on my back, I was located in what seemed like a large tall-grassland, wait this yellowish grass is this... Wheat? I rolled over and pushed myself up, after that I examined my hands and arms. "What the?" I said as I looked at my now roundish fingers and arms, I rotated them over and over while curving my fingers before clutching them. I looked at the landscape in front of me, everything looked different. The grass, the trees in the distance, even what I'm guessing horses in the distance looked abnormal.

A familiar sound clicked behind my back. "Shit..." I murmured as I quickly about-faced. What I saw was a girl who had the same shape as me but of course had a rather elegant frame. She had pale white skin and had short hair along with yellow eyes, dressed in a hooded green cargo jacket with rolled up sleeves with a black buttoned shirt, and with it blue denim jeans and weathered brown boots. She seemed to hold something with the both of her hands, something that's mostly made out of wood and some sort of blackish materiel, along with a wrapped cloth at the back of it containing small pieces of what looked like gold.

The girl jumped and moved ten paces back. "H-Hands behind your head!" The girl's voice ordered, normally I wouldn't take someone like her seriously but when she has a weapon like that... I'll make an exception.

"Hey, calm down." I hesitated before intertwining my fingers and putting them at the back of my round head.

"What are you doing around our crop field?" She asked.

"I dont know, but I promise you I'm not looking for trouble." I reassured in my most calm demeanor.

"How can I trust you?"

"I can't prove anything, but can you just please tell me where I am?"

She slightly lowered her weapon. "What?"

"Hey, I just woke up here. I have no damn clue what's going on."

"Lubbock... You are in Lubbock, Texas." Answered the girl.

"I see... Texas? I haven't heard of it." The girl's face turned dumbstruck before settling the weapon down.

"You... You're from around here are you?" She asked.

"No, I'm not." I firmly answered.

"So? Where you from?"

"Minecraft."

"Minecraft?"

"Yes."

"So... where is that? The U.K. or Paris... Sweden?" Said the yellow eyed girl.

"I... don't know what those are."

The girl nodded slowly, and looked at me as if I was crazy.

"Oh, maybe I should tell you I'm from a different dimension." I said with an edge of sarcasm. The girl still gave me that look. Before saying another word a ringing sound could be heard.

"What's that?" I asked. The girl simply put one finger up before fishing in her pocket to bring a rectangular shaped object. She swiped the surface of it with her thumb before putting it towards her ear.

"Hey." She said.

"Hi." I greeted back.

Ignoring me she looked to her left. "Yeah, I found it... you're what? Hey, I don't think he's any trouble, he's unarmed so you don't have to overwatch... I'll be fine Dad... Understood, I'll bring him over." I patiently stood there until she put the rectangular object back in her pocket. "Follow me." She ordered, walking away.

I hesitated, looking at my new legs along with my torso.

"You coming? Night's coming soon and trust me, it's not pretty... not anymore." At that sentence, I moved my legs and trailed her.

After walking with this girl for several hours we eventually came across a weird looking structure.

"What is that?" I asked, pointing at the unidentified object.

"A car." She answered while opening the door. "Get in from the other side."

I shut the door after complying to her order, this was... different. "So this thing is called a car?"

"Yep." She briskly said while starting the car.

"You know, the only thing I love about this apocalypse is that there are no laws about speeding."

"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked.

"Oh, trust me." She said. The car let off multiple roars and rumbles. "You'll know." Without warning, the car shot forward, making me jolt back in my seat.

"Oh, fuck!" I yelled, the girl however was laughing.

"Isn't this awesome?" The girl beamed.

"The Nether it is!" I yelled over the noise and bumps.

"Oh relax, I'm a licensed driver! Just enjoy this american classic!"

***Thirty minutes later.***

It wasn't easy, but I convinced her to slow down, we were on what their standard of a road now. "What... was that?" I laughed hysterically.

"That... was the power of a V8 1967 Mustang." Her lips curled into a smile.

Further down the road, watch tower like buildings could be seen.

"You're crazy." I exclaimed.

"You could pin the blame on a close friend of mine."

"So what happened here?"

"Not sure, it's been like this for at least four months now. One moment I'm enjoying a Subway sandwich and the next moment zombies and alive skeletons with arrows appear and start chomping and shooting the town up. We've managed to push them out of this neighborhood in a matter of a month, now we're counting the day we stand." As we approached the houses the main gate opened, giving us entrance. We turned a few times before stopping at the front of a building with a sign saying: Police Department. "Here we are." The girl said as she pulled the brakes, stopping the car before opening her door before walking out.

As I stepped out of my door I was greeted by the bitter cold air. The girl then signaled for me to come in the building. I closed the window-door on the way in. Inside you can hear the buzz of people murmuring and talking, many took small glances at be before nodding and go on with their business. As we walked though the building I noticed an armory section which people handed others their 'Rifles' as they call them, to another person through a half-door to have them put those golden pieces in small boxes before putting that in the rifles, and some to inspect it, making sure it's not broken I guess.

"Over here." The girl muttered. Bringing me towards a table which sat multiple men and women talking to each other.

"For the last time, you don't get infected if they bite you." One woman who looked in her early twenty's said.

"How can you so sure about that? It's a zombie for god's sake, isn't that their thing?" A guy who looked in his sixteen's retorted back.

"Because we've had a few patients who have been bit and do you know how their doing at this moment? Ask Dean sitting next to you." She said calmly. The boy however jumped at her sentence, which earned a few laughs from others.

"Ah! There you are." Another man's voice was directed towards us, I looked up to see he had a five 'o clock beard and judging by his looks. I'd say he's the father of the girl beside me.

"Yep, here's that guy that was in the fields." The girl beside me spoke up.

"Hey." I greeted, then decided to answer the boy's question. "By the way, you can't get sick from zombies. Ever, the only way is to eat their flesh." I said. The woman looked at me with curiosity in her eyes.

"How do you know that?"

"After many experiences." I sedately answered.

"No not that… I mean that flesh part."

"Oh… yeah I've seen it happen to other people who were desperate from their hunger." The woman's eyes widened a little.

"Already huh? Never thought people would resort to that."

The girl beside me quickly stepped in.

"Oh! he's not talking about us, he's just... Talking about another world."

"Another world?"

"Yes, Cora. he came from another. Just like Drake. Minecraft?" The golden eyed girl let off a questioning edge.

"Minecraft." The woman bowed her head in confirmation.

"Who... who's Drake?"

"That's not important right now..." The girl stopped before going any further. "Now that I think of it I never got your name."

"Alex." I lied out of habit. "And you?"

"Rin." The girl crossed her arms and sat on a chair. "And this is my dad." She flicked her head towards the man who was leaning against the wall, inspecting a rifle until he was called upon.

"Oh, uh. Yeah, pleasure to meet you, Alex." He said, extending his arm.

I took my arm out to meet his. As soon as we shook hands I decided to bring up my own question, one that's been irritating me ever since Rin and I drove into this village. "So... do _all_ of you people have these weapons?" I asked.

"Most of us." Rin's father simply answered.

"So you just give these weapons to just anybody? I mean, it seems like giving that to Rin seems a little... over the top?"

The father then took hold of Rin's head and scratched her hair playfully. "Oh, Rin here? Please, that rifle is like a child's toy compared to what this is." He brought up his own rifle after Rin's weak protests to stop his scratching.

"So there's different types?"

"Yep, in fact these are in all shapes and sizes... That reminds me, you've came from Minecraft."

"Yes, I have."

"Fought all the monsters that're terrorizing earth at this moment, must of seen a lot of traumatizing moments."

"The best, slayed so much that I got bored... and I guess you can say I've been through hell and back."

There was a small silence before he looked at his rifle, then at me. "Would you like to experience something new?"

"Fuck. Yes." I answered.

"Katashi by the way, name's Katashi Lee." He said, slinging the rifle over his shoulder. "Come on, well begin your certification test now."

"Now? He just got here literally an hour ago!" Stated Cora.

"What was that? I'm sorry I can't hear you over the ringing in my ears!" Said Katashi, with an edge of mockery. He signaled his hand for me and Rin to follow him before walking off.

***23 Minutes Later***

After many minutes of walking in the night's dim light we came across an area that contained many large structures. "Here it is. Warehouse B." I heard Katashi's voice, along with the similar sound of iron clashing against each other. After a while Rin and her father raised the building's gate, inside was a massive area decorated with slim wooden planks with circular pictures on them. As I examined the pictures more closely I noticed the multiple layers contained numbers such as ten, thirty, fifty, and a hundred.

"Okay... what is this exactly?"

"Shooting range." Rin answered. "The more points you get the higher the tier you're allowed to handle. So if you really want the most badass weapons we have, I suggest aiming long range... if you can handle it."

"Tiers?"

"The level of weaponry." Katashi's voice echoed in the warehouse, he took out a small object and clicked a small button, activating a shining light. "Tier one: Pistols, Tier two: Basic rifles and shotguns, Tier three: Hi-Powered Sniper Rifles and DMRs, and Tier four: Stationary Weapons and Explosives."

"Which one are you and Rin in?" I asked.

"Tier three." Katashi answered while flipping a few switches from an open box on the wall. "Rin over there fell in two."

"Woo-hoo." Rin made a mock cheer.

"Alright, annd..." Katashi muttered before twisting one last switch. As he did, an indescribable sound filled the warehouse before lamps on the ceiling turned on, lighting the entire area.

"Alex, head up to that stairway where Rin is. I'll set up the range."

"Got it." I nodded my head before heading up the flight of stairs at a formidable height. Rin dragged out a few large boxes before opening them, revealing multiple weapons in each one.

"This is your only chance to freely choose. Until you can take this test again in six months. So... go nuts." She insisted, getting out a pair of what she called binoculars.

I heard the echo of Katashi in the distance. "Rin will be your spotter. Every shot you take, Rin will tell you the value of your shots along the way."

"And what if she misses a shot?" As I asked this Rin laughed half-heartily.

"Nothing gets past my eye, trust me." She reassured, then looking at the boxes. "Kit up."

I took a rather long time before finding something that appealed to me. The metal rifle seemed a bit more heavy than expected but nothing I couldn't handle.

"A VEPR DMR huh?" Said Rin with something in her eyes.

"Yeah, why? Is it bad?"

"Oh, no that's not it. Just not my preference... Oh well, lay down there and set the bipod." She ordered.

As I laid down I pondered what a bipod exactly is, Rin, who seemed well aware, set it up herself by bringing down the two metal-like sticks on the bottom of the weapon.

***12 Minutes later***

"He's ready!" Yelled Rin. "One more thing, targets that are painted blue are innocents. If you happen to shoot one your points will be deducted."

"Got it" I said.

"Alright! Starting in three..."

I followed Rin's instructions, flipping a dial one time only. A clink sounded inside the DMR, signifying it's ready for service.

"Two..."

I took a deep breath, looking down the scope towards the model building that contained many windows. Rin laid down a few feet from the side of me and brought out her binoculars and notepad.

"One..."

My body tensed, preparing for the 'recoil' I was about to experience.

"Begin!" Katashi shouted, and with it a loud buzz rang before multiple wooden posts flipped up one-by-one.

I aimed towards a target located at what seemed like a watchtower, once it was in the center of my rifle I pulled the trigger and released an unrelenting force and bang.

"Hit... Ten points." Said Rin as she wrote on the paper of the notebook.

Second, a pot shot at a target out in the open, standing still.

"Hit... Twenty."

Third shot, towards a target that was sliding towards it's left.

"Hit... Fifty, nice shot."

I gave myself a small mental celebration, that was, until two misses later. Another target flicked up near my crosshairs, I did not hesitate to shoot.

"She had a family, Alex... Thirty points deducted." Said Rin. Marking the horrible shot down.

I hissed in frustration, I decided to step up my game by actually confirming my targets as they appeared.

Eighth shot, towards a target sliding through a multiple windowed hallway.

"Hit... Ten."

At this point I could see the end of the rifle's barrel steam with smoke, and with it carried a thick scent. After multiple shots later the words ringed in my head.

"Hit."

"Miss."

"Miss."

"Hit."

"I feel bad for his kids... Deduction."

After that last shot, when I pulled the trigger all I got was a click, signifying that there are no more projectiles to be fired.

"He's done!" Rin shouted. And with it the motorized sounds stopped along with the moving wooden posts. Later Katashi jogged into the center of the range.

"Result?"

"Adding that, and subtract by..." Muttered Rin. "Tier two!" She announced. "Welcome to the party!" She grinned and raised her hand up.

"Well, better than the bottom." I told myself before standing up to slap her hand.

"Alright you two, it's about midnight by now, time for dinner rations." Katashi said. Rin and I nodded before following him out and closing the large metal gate of the warehouse.

***Back towards the police station.***

All we got for dinner was this thing called chicken noodle soup and with a side of crackers. Don't get me wrong I personally freaking enjoyed the meal, I just wished there was a bit... more. I engaged a conversation with Rin and her father to kill time as well.

"So Rin... You going to eat that?" I asked.

"Eh, not that hungry." She replied.

"Not hungry? You haven't eaten anything since this morning! Jeez, your appetite is being rubbed off from your friend by the second." Her father exclaimed.

"Oh, trust me. _His_ appetite is inhuman, he literally can go four days without food."

"Four days? Who took care of him at the time?" Katashi asked.

"His mother." Rin answered.

"Wow, poor guy." I said, sympathetically.

"Oh, no. It's not like his mom did not give anything! It's just... he refuses to eat."

"You're joking." I said.

"I wish I was. He looked very unhealthy and restless at the time, he has a disorder."

"So.. that's it? he's just out there starving himself to death."

"Well that was, until I decided to take care of him."

"And you convinced him?" I asked.

"Close." Rin answered, playing with her food in the process. "If feeding someone by force is a crime... Well, I'm guilty then."

Katashi chuckled. "Oh yeah, you mentioned that before." He laughed.

"Seems like an interesting person." I chuckled a bit myself. "What's his name?"

My heart skipped a beat and my body froze at the answer. "Nikolai." Rin smiled to herself. "He's probably still in San Antonio, protecting his mom hopefully."

She noticed my stiffness. "Is there something wrong?" I quickly waved my hand.

"Oh, I'm just tired, that's all."

"Okay, in that case... Cora!" Rin called to a dark purple haired girl at the end of the room.

"Yeah?!" Her voice could barely be heard over the chatter.

"Can you please show Alex a place to sleep?"

"You got it." Her voice became much clear as she walked up and took hold of my wrist. "Come this way."

She led me outside in the bitter coldness of night, taking a route towards the many houses in the distance.

Opening the door to the closest house in view she called out inside. "Hello? Is anybody in here?" Silence filled the gap. "Unoccupied... Well! Here you are." Cora said.

"Thank you" I humbly thanked. Without a word, Cora nudged me inside the house before closing the door behind her on the way out, leaving me by myself. "Well, from what happened today... I fucking love this world, new threats, more materials and weapons, physics... This is awesome." I thought out loud. I then searched around the home to find the bedroom. Once I got myself settled down on this comfortable bed I knocked myself out as soon as my head rested on the pillow. _'So that girl knows something about his whereabouts huh? Eh, I'll go deeper into the matter tomorrow.' _That was my last thought before falling into the hands of a deep slumber.

* * *

**And that Bonus Chapter was basically one of my many ways to introduce a character.**

**Thank you, The Mob Reader for Following and Favorited both my story and me as an author.**


	12. Chapter 10: New Introductions

**Well... I just noticed a mistake that I forgot to fix once this story started. Nikolai's REAL height is actually 5'9'' so yeah... Dammit. Anyway I wanted to thank you guys for a very successful month as of March. Four new Followers and seven Favorites in one month is just amazing along the fact I with my story passing one thousand views as well. So I'd love to thank the people below for giving me a meaningful reason to write in the hardest times of my freshman year.**

**New Followers:**

**\- BobbytheGhosthog  
\- Lunafanficsinc  
\- Pokemaster Ace  
\- sean .moran. 3557**

**New Favorites:**

**\- ****BobbytheGhosthog  
\- EnderTheLostPrince  
\- Lunafanficsinc  
\- Novawolf13  
\- Pokemaster Ace  
\- sean .moran****. 3557  
\- sloaniam**

* * *

**Chapter 10: New Introductions**

**10/04/2017, 11:52:01 PM  
Amn District, Rune Territory**

_**Nikolai PoV**_

"What... the fuck is this?" I asked, confused by the recent events.

"A drink." John simply answered.

"No, I mean... What in the actual fuck is _this_?" I gestured my confusion with my arms towards the alcoholic beer on the bar table in front of us.

"A small break, from all the shit we've been through." Said John, raising his hand to the bartender, signalling for another beer.

"But... I'm seventeen." I said over the sliding sound of glass going to my left.

"So? Cupa here is sixteen but do you see her complaining?" John gestured his hand towards the girl in green sitting to the left of me. I looked at her for awhile. She let out a gritted smile along with a sheepish expression. I let my hand collide with my forehead.

"Jesus fucking Christ" I muttered beneath my breath. "What is Jen going to say about this?"

John put on a mischievous face. "She won't say anything if doesn't know."

"I really... don't even know who you are anymore." I then turned to Cupa. "Do you even know what you're getting into?"

"Nope!" She answered in her usual innocent tone.

"Of course..." I murmured. John pushed a glass towards me.

"It's called letting loose, ever tried it?"

"There's this thing called underage drinking, ever heard of it?" I retorted, pushing the glass back to the former marine.

"Stress relief." He pushed the drink towards me.

"Hangovers." I pushed it back.

"Distraction against loss." He pushed it back. I opened my mouth to retort but kept it shut, he has a point on that one... "Look, if this has to do with your-..."

That punched me back into reality. "No, he..." I paused for a sec. "The news had it wrong that day. He was _not_ drunk." I said with an unintentional lash.

John calmly raised his arms. "Okay, it's just that you have not been like yourself ever since your mother died." I flinched.

"That is irrelevant." I tried avoiding the oncoming topic. I heard a moan behind me along with a hiccup.

"I don't even understand *hic* why you're refusssing thiss. It tastes verry good." Someone who I hoped wouldn't drink slurred.

"Son of a..." I said as I looked at Cupa's blushed face and spaced out eyes.

"I'm a girrl." She slurred, taking another gulp.

"Yeah, I'm aware!" I grunted irritably. I turned to John.

"Seems like we got a lightweight here." He joked. I just glared at him. "Ah, come on. Would it kill you to relax a bit?"

"No, but I prefer being a couch potato when it comes to that." I answered.

"Niiko." Cupa slurred behind my head.

"Wha- MPH-" I got interrupted as Cupa suddenly placed her hand on my chin before using her other to tip her glass to my lips, letting the alcoholic liquid pour into my mouth. I swallowed before quickly jerking my head back, coughing in the process. "The hell, Cupa?!"

Cupa gave a weak smile. "Just making sure *hic* you wouldn't miss out." She said as her eyes got heavy, slowly leaning towards me before falling. Quickly I extended my arms to catch the hybrid mob. I got out of my chair to fully support her before putting her in my chair next to John, adjusting her in a position in where she used her own arms as a pillow on the bar.

"So..." John started. "That was a first huh? Being forced fed by a girl?"

For some reason that made me cringe. "I've had a similar experience before." I answered. Odd I know I've been before but... By who? I don't remember. At that moment I took the time to adjust my Oakley backpack.

"How did it taste?" John once more asked.

This one was easy. "Horrible, how can you even drink this without wanting to spit it out?"

John shrugged. "It gets different when you drink more... You should-"

"Hell. No." I interrupted. "Is it normal to feel a bit dizzy?"

"Yes, considering the amount she gave yo- What the fuck?" John changed subjects, sidetracked. I looked to where John was looking, there was four empty mugs to where Cupa formerly sat, from the looks of it they all seem recently drank from as well.

"Damn, how did she order this much from behind your back?" I asked.

"Hey, this is on you as well!"

As soon as I opened my mouth to protest an unexpected force of dizziness struck me, forcing me to lean on the bar. I let out a hiccup. "And I suppose this is on you as well, considering you had me drive us all the way out here." I steadied myself before releasing from the support of the bar. "I'm going to the restroom"

"You sure you're going to be alright? I could help you." John offered.

"No, stay with Cupa. Make sure no one lays a finger on her." I answered. John nodded in acknowledgement.

**12:24:23 PM**

Noxious... that would probably be the best word for this sensation. I supported myself at a nearby marble sink, breathing a bit heavily. I then put my left hand under the faucet and my other towards the cold water valve and twisted it... Nothing. I tried the other valve... Still nothing.

"Damn apocalypse." I muttered beneath my breath. Helplessly looking for aid, I just stared at myself in the mirror in front of me. Only minor changes here and there, like the light scar across my cheek from 'The Modern Battle of The Alamo' and a bit smudges of dirt on my face. One other thing I noticed is that the irises of my sci-fi like eyes occasionally sharpen up into a turbine-like look, much different compared to the normal way it was programmed. Why does it do that when adrenaline kicks in or when I'm about to fight? Beats me, we may never know since Foxtrot isn't here anymore. At that moment my thoughts were interrupted by the sight of someone else entering the room.

"Hello." I heard a unusual voice. I recognized it immediately, and I want out of here as soon as possible.

"Good bye." I replied as I quickly made my way towards the exit. Which as I came near the door another person, a teenager. He lightly pushed me back before clicking the door behind him. I looked at the kid and the teen, we all had two distinctive traits in common. Silver artificial illuminated eyes, and had grey colored shemaghs with black accents looking identical. Except for mine which was tattered with dust and was ripped a bit, giving it that post-apocalyptic survival appearance. "Alright... Time to wake up from this, must of passed out."

"No. You didn't." The younger me said. The teenage subtlety leaned against the door to the exit. I remained silent, trying to make sense of this.

"Who is doing this?"

The teenage me shrugged. "Who knows? I just got here. One second I'm avoiding Rin and the next door I open here I am." The teenager looked at the child. "How'd you of all people get here?"

The child tilted his head. "Who's Rin?"

My teenage version looked towards me as if passing the explanation towards me. "Oh yeah." I said, giving a slight mischievous smile. "She... Is going to be your future wife." I said with a smile. The child's eyes widened and he put on a intriguing face. The teenager on the other hand, yelled in disgust and terror.

"Hell no! That shit is not possible! Fuck that bullshit!" I looked at the flustered teen along with his long barrage of cussing.

_'Was this really... Me? Damn... I did not know shit about using cuss words. Hell, I'm probably still like that to this day!' _I thought. At a small break his protests I had a stupid sheepish face. "You done?" I asked.

The teenager dropped his head in hopelessness. "Divorce her." He mumbled.

"Heh! Let me ask you this. Do you have any idea how wonderful marriage is?" I kept my facade.

A long silence went by before I heard an answer.

"No." He sighed.

I shrugged. "Me neither... I'm seventeen for fuck's sake."

He raised his head and glared at me. "Piss off."

I let off a chuckle. "Whoa there, we have a kid here." I turned towards the child.

"You don't mind this do you?"

The kid shook his head. "Who are you, sir?"

I bent my knees towards him until we were at head level. He looked at me with innocent eyes. "Close your eyes." I ordered politely.

"Okay." The kid said. He obeyed my command and closed his eyes.

I clutched my fist and motioned it back, then let out a raged grunt as I swung my fist to meet with the boy's jaw. The younger me fell backwards from the impact. Now I could hear sniffles from the motionless body.

"Satisfied?" The teenager to the left of me questioned.

"Yes." I replied, rubbing my knuckles from the punch.

"Now can you please explain why I'm here exactly?"

"I... dont know."

"You dont?"

"No."

"Well then... the fuck? I'm missing fifth period over some purple dust?"

That sentence got my attention, my eyes widened and my tone became more concerned. "Say that again?" I asked. The teen cocked his eyebrow and hesitated before repeating himself.

"Purple... dust?"

I took a step towards him. "What was it shaped like?"

"Squares, like cubes." He said.

"Tsk! Endermen? What could they possibly want?" I walked back and forth to think. There has to be a mistake, it doesn't make any sense. Why would an enderman be doing this? Is it under Herobrine? No. If it was by him they'd be torturing me in some way. If it was Notch he would transfer me over when I'm asleep or unconscious.

I turned to the kid that was on the floor. "And you?" I asked. Silence filled the air. As seconds flew by I let out a sigh, I took small steps towards the boy before keeling in front of him. "Oh come on, get up champ. It can't be that bad."

The boy lifted his gaze from the floor to reach my torso, which makes sense because I usually couldn't handle eye contact till I was sixteen years old. The boy adjusted his body to sit cris-cross before moving his head slightly to the left and down to the floor. "I-... It's bleeding." He lowly said, almost audible. He presented his hand, revealing a piece of brown glass dug deep into his palm. I leaned to look behind him to see a brown broken beer bottle along with it's shards, tainted with red blood.

"Hey, man up. There will be more of stuff like that to come." I heard my teen-self say.

"Wh- What?!" The kid shouted and jolted back. I quickly pulled him up straight and steadied him from falling backwards again. I turn my head towards the teen to give him a harsh warning glare before turning back at the kid.

"Don't worry about it!" I hastily say. "Trust me, when those days come you will be grown up and strong." I reassure. The boy looked at me with hopeful eyes.

"Really?" He asks.

"W-Well maybe not at firs-" I quickly cut myself off. "Yeah, soon you'll be kicking some ass!" I say with an open smile. "But before that let's just focus on getting that hand fixed alright Niko?" As I said this the kid nodded his head. I then brought out my Oakley backpack to bring out makeshift bandages made out of ripped clothing. "This might hurt a little okay?" I gently took hold of his hand with my left and my right hand hovered above his palm, preparing to remove the glass shard. "On five okay?" The boy nodded as I said this. I let my thumb and index finger press together on the dull parts of the glass before counting down. "Three... Tw-" There, I quickly yanked the shard from my younger self.

"Ouch!" The boy squealed. Quickly, I brought out a blue ripped shirt before wrapping it around his hand, around the thumb and tying the cloth. Small traces of red started to stain the gloomy blue when I tighten it. The boy examined it before saying, pained. "Th- thank you."

I waved him off. "The least I could do after that punch." I say, taking my cap off so I could wipe the sweat off my head in this un-air conditioned building.

"Eden..." I heard a thoughtful tone behind me.

"What?" I ask, turning my head towards the younger teen.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just something that came into my mind when I got here."

I cocked my brow. "Anything else?"

"Something with an L... Laz? Laus? I don't remember." My teen-self says.

"Riight... Niko? How about you?" I asked, turning to my right.

"Well, when I first came in I heard echoes, saying the same thing over and over again." The child scratched his cheek before speaking. "Thy Kingdom come?" He says questioningly. I then took notice of small purple dust particles floating behind the kid. And I wasn't the only one to notice for the teen leaned in as well for a closer look. "Huh?" The boy said as he lifted up his arms to examine the purple glowing dust for awhile before seeing himself slowly rendering onto dust. "No I..." He said with a frightful edge. The process sped up to the point the air was slowly aiding the turning. I quickly ran to him to take took hold of his hand and try to comfort him, but it was futile. I knew this as soon as I looked at his panicked eyes. "Please..." That was his last word as the illuminated dust circled around his body, devouring and engulfing everything that was left before splitting apart and its glow fade into nothingness.

"Oh shit..." I said, standing up and taking steps back. I looked back towards the teenage me but I found nothing but my reflection in a cracked mirror. "What the?" I thought out loud. After looking around the restroom I came to the conclusion of whatever was influencing me was finished and left. At that moment I heard the murmurs of the people outside rise into yelling and shouting. I made my way over to the door before peeking through the small opening. The first person I saw was John... being tackled over a circular table by a man that looked like he was near to my age, light black skin and was dressed in a black shirt that was covered by a dark leather hoodie with rolled up sleeves to his elbows, black gloves, dark blue denim cargo pants, and black work boots. Let's just call him the man in black for now.

"Are you calm now?" He said while standing up effortlessly, towards the marine on the ground. John rubbed his jaw to ease his pain, when he turned his head to his right he made eye contact with me. He subtlety made gestures with his fingers, he clutched his hand into a fist with only the thumb sideways, he then let it drop to form a full fist until opening and closing the rest of his fingers in a ripple effect, pinkie to index finger,. We mostly use this sign language for scavenging and other assignments, rarely it's used outside of it, right now it just looks as if he's preparing for his next attack. What John was saying is that he needs my assistance. Sighing, I slowly opened the door fully before stepping out into the crowds, scanning the room for Cupa.

"Calm? You put your hands around my niece's neck and you expect me to be calm?" John spat at the man.

My eyes widened a little. _'Shit. No,no,no.' _I thought as I looked at the bar to see Cupa's hood. I quickly walked over to her before grabbing her shoulder and shaking it. "Cupa?" I asked. No response. "Cupa!" I said a bit louder. I then brought out two fingers to put them on her neck to check her pulse. It's small but it's there.

"Ni... ko." I heard the creeper say.

"What?" I asked with a concerned tone.

"Stop..." For a second I thought she was referring to the man in black, until... "John." She finished weakly.

"So tell me why you were doing it!" Shouted John.

"I can't, not here!" Said the man. I turned my head away from Cupa and back and towards the bartender.

"Bartender." I called. The bartender came my way.

"Yep?"

"Him." I pointed towards the man in black. "Know anything?" The worker nodded.

"Yeah, he comes rarely." I shrugged at his sentence.

"That it?"

"Can't tell. My memory is fuzzy." He says. I sighed, I reached in my pocket to bring out a small pouch and toss it on the counter. The worker took and opened it. "How much?" He said, opening the pouch.

"As much as it looks, two diamonds." I say as the bartender took out a small bright blue foggy crystal before and examining it. "Much better than what you'd make in a month huh?"

"Jay Mason." The worker says as he puts the rest of the pieces of diamond in his palm and into his pocket. "Ender hybrid or in other words an Alpha. Enhanced eye sight compared to what other hybrids are capable of, quick reactions, and damn can that kid punch."

"Any weak points?" I ask. The worker simply shook his head.

"Nothing I know of." I turned away from him when he said that.

"Going in blind." I muttered underneath my breath as I took my backpack off. From what I hear from Jay is that he doesn't want to fight. As much as I want to kill him for making my day even more noisier than what its supposed to be, I might as well hear him out. I stepped into the crowd and into the fight space in by best carefree demeanor. As Jay saw me he tensed up and retreated back, his eyes darting to me and John rapidly. I casually raised both of my hands in the universal friendly gesture, John on the other hand had his arms raised up and ready to fight. I moved my head towards him with an annoyed face. "Calm your shit." I calmly said with by eyes flashing towards the ender hybrid. "Both of you." John looked at me.

"He was-" John started.

"He did nothing." I interrupted. "I don't know what he did but it was not on bad intentions." I brought out my hand to Jay, offering a handshake. "Name's Nikolai. And you?" I asked, acting as if I didn't know him. After a long period of hesitation he eventually joined hands and shook it.

"Jay." he replied.

"Nice to meet you, Jay." I said, tuning my head towards John. "And this is my uncle, John."

"Hi..." John greeted.

"Follow me." I ordered. "I want to hear your explanation on what you just did to Cupa." I motioned my hand for him and John to follow me towards a an empty row of chairs where Cupa sat. As we sat down I rested my head with my arm on the table. "So tell me." I began with my everyday carefree personality. "What exactly did you do with her? Choke her?"

"N-Notch no!" Jay hastily spoke, waving his hands. "I tried to help her out."

"By... Putting your hands around her neck?" I said, doubtfully.

"No! Wait... I mean yes. I jus-..." He shook his head out of frustration. "I stimulated her brain to speed up the process for her to become... sober."

"More sober- how long will it take?" John asked.

"Couple of minu-" Jay got interrupted by an optimistic feminine voice.

"Sup'. Anything I miss?" Cupa stepped in, smiling and rubbing her eyes with her brown-gloved hand. Jay gestured his right hand.

"Like so." He casually says, leaning against the bar table. Cupa tilted her head. "It also gives out a short memory loss too."

I looked up to Cupa. "You didn't miss anything. We were just leaving, isn't that right John?" I shot John a warning glare as I said that last part.

"Th-That's right." John quickly replied. "We just got ordered to get back to the militia."

"Wait, can't we get one m-"

"Now!" John interrupts her, taking her wrist and guiding her towards the exit. As they leave my sight I turn back to Jay.

"I'm... sorry for this misunderstanding. Thank you for your help we appreciate it." I said as I took his hand and shook it. Without another word I turned and made my way to the exit and out into the night. I scanned the night dimmed streets that surrounded the multiple buildings and skyscrapers and, searching for the Chevy we arrived here with. I walked around the sidewalks which was crowded with people. Just looking at my surroundings I felt as if this all is too good to be true. I mean, think about it. People walking in a civilized matter, a few cars rolling down the streets, it's amazing considering how long this apocalypse has been going on for six months so far and here we have this safe haven. It's almost like the San Antonio I used to know if you don't count the fact that the city has a full twenty-four hour sniper overwatch and the other factor that almost everyone wears slings and holsters containing some sort of firearm. And the last factor would be that at least one third of San Antonio is blacked out, the rest is either dimly lit and flickering like here or fully lit and stable ever since the power grid malfunctioning on the second day when this all happened, when I had my small reunion with my uncle and aunt. It has been said it took us four months to reclaim this city bit by bit, one block at a time, now we are counting the seconds it stands. And with winter coming soon morale is not going so well.

As I hear faint strange sounds and grunts I look up to the rooftops of buildings to see shadows leap across gaps and walls that separate the structures, and I notice if I look closely I see a few of them do tricks while their at it, stuff like wall back flips and front flips as they jump across the gaps that form the alleys. _'Hm. Midnight overwatch.' _I note mentally. _'Show offs.' _At that moment I caught a glimpse of flickering headlights to my right, as I turn my head I see a wine red Chevrolet 2015 Impala rolling it's way out of an abandoned parking lot over at a near by Chili's. I stepped across the road to meet it halfway, as I neared the passenger door I heard the small clink that signified that it was unlocked, allowing me access. I opened the door and stepped into the vehicle to see John in the driver seat and Cupa riding shotgun, leaving me in the back. "Come on, really?" I thought out loud.

"First come, first served." Replies John underneath his breath as he brings his hand to the gear to switch from parking to drive. As we ride on the roads with a speed of thirty miles an hour Cupa speaks.

"So this is... what is this again?"

"A car." I answer.

"And this one is called a Lamborghini right?" Cupa asks once more.

"Close. It's called a Chevrolet... Where did you get that other from anyway?" I say, resting my hand on my cheek.

"John told me." Cupa says while looking back from her seat. "Apparently they're the best out there."

I yawned and rubbed my eyes before replying. "Oh please, if you really want to know which manufacturer is the shit nowadays it would obviously be Audi."

"You sure your drowsiness isn't clouding your judgement? Because for a second I thought you said Audi." John spoke up, speeding the car as we entered a highway.

"Damn right I did." I taunted.

"Ehhh... I have no idea what's going on..." Cupa weakly said, scratching the back of her hood. Soon before I knew it we were in a heated argument about which brand was better. In the middle of the debate Cupa looked around the car with furrowed eyebrows. "H-Hey, guys? Do you hear something?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"That... Whirring sound, what is it?" Said Cupa as she laid a finger on her chin.

"That would be the air condition." I nonchalantly answered. "Wait wha-" I then heard it. The familiar sound of static. "John, turn off the radio." John's shoulders shrugged.

"It is off. There's no one out there anymore you know." John remarked

"Just in case."

"Hmph, yeah I'm pretty sure there's that one asshole who plays Miley Cyrus and Nikki fucking Minaj all day..." Said John, sarcastically.

"Oh, I've seen some songs on that music app on your phone in the discover section." Beamed Cupa as she looked back at me. "I've never listened to those artists yet, is she good?" As she asked this John and I faced her and quickly said in unison.

"Hell no!"

Cupa flinched back. "Well... At least you two agree on something."

Just then the static got louder and louder until small particles of sand formed in midair, illuminating purple as it swiftly formed a human body and a backpack to the left of me. It took what seemed like half a second for the glowing sand to collide to materialize flesh and skin, forming the human figure. At this moment I did not hesitate to take out a Glock 18 from the door storage compartment before flicking the select fire dial and aim it at the center mass of the dark figure.

"So you said something about a militi-" The figure said but stopped at his current predicament as soon as he heard the sound of a gun hammer being pulled down. "Ah..." He nervously said, looking at the black automatic pistol. The black figure's head slowly turned towards me. "W-Well if you're going to shoot you better not miss. The others weren't so lucky." I recognized the voice almost immediately.

"And who said any thing about this thing being loaded?" I replied, pressing the trigger. Nothing but a click sounded. Tossing the firearm aside I looked at the people at the front of the car. Cupa was wearing a startled face after her small scream, and John kept his cool as expected from a veteran. But if you look closely at his blue illuminated face the faint beads of sweat exposes his surprised expression.

"Um..." muttered Jay as he looked at the scene he has caused. "You left your bag." He firmly said, bringing out a grey Oakley bag and extending it to me.

"Thanks..." I say as I awkwardly grip the shoulder strap, accepting the lost property. "And yeah, we're in a militia." I answer.

"Well you three sure aren't Rune, so who are you guys? Patriots? Divine Legion? Or maybe even the Syndicate of Defense?"

"Fireflies." John spoke up, keeping his sight on the night road. Jay's illuminating purple eyes widened with hope.

"Oh thank Notch, I've been looking for you guys for the longest time!" Jay exclaimed. I simply tilted my head.

"Hm? Why's that?"

"Why?" He said, fixing his eyes towards mine. "Are you kidding me? You guys are like the messiahs of equality in this world! ...Or something like that."

"I... Wouldn't put it like that. I mean, the Patriots and the Syndicate accept hybrids." I say.

"Well yeah but not as much. Not only do they give us small rations but it's almost like we're being watched all the time. Like their just waiting for us to show some sort of insurgency behavior. How can we work together when we don't trust each other?"

I looked down at my feet, thinking about his last sentence mostly because of a certain someone who has tried her best to earn my own. " '_Trust' _is not given." I say without looking up. "It's earned."

"How? With what?"

"What else?" I shrugged my shoulders before looking up. "Time."

* * *

**10/05/2017, 07:15:18 AM  
Cytus District, Firefly Territory**

I woke up due to the loud music my Bose sound system was projecting. My eyelids were heavy to the point where I'm struggling to keep them as they are. I was back in my camp lantern lit room. "Uhh..." I moaned over the vocals and guitar of the current song (The Offspring - You're Gonna Go Far Kid) . Before I could ask myself the question of why the hell it's blasting away I found myself laying sideways on my left. _'Offspring? That's... New.'_

"Wake up Niko~" The voice of Cupa filled my ears... Partially, if you factor the music. Before I can ask why in the hell music is playing I saw it. A thick black wire resting on the glowing triangle located at the palm of my right hand.

"Right... walking battery..." I muttered before putting my left hand over my mouth as I let out a yawn. "What are you doing here?" A hand full of seconds came by before I asked another. "And why are you dressed like that?" I said as my artificial eyes established a link to my now more functioning brain to focus out of the blurriness to see the room and the girl more clearly. Cupa was dressed in her signature colors with a olive tank top, black athletic shorts with lime green accents, and white running shoes. And I guess to finish it all off she tied her orange hair into a ponytail.

Cupa crossed her arms and pouted. "Why? Today's physical training. Or have you forgotten?"

I looked at her face for a while before laying back in bed and pulling up my blanket. "Oh no, I don't feel good. Guess I'll sit this one out."

"Come on..." Cupa groaned with annoyance, running in place to show her frustration.

"Heey." Another voice could be heard down the hall...

_'Oh shit.'_ I thought.

Soon a certain wolf-human hybrid came into sight, leaning on the empty door frame with one arm. "What's the hold up?" After saying this her silver colored wolf ears drooped as she brought her free hand up to yawn. Her eyelids were narrowed due to drowsiness, my guess is that I'm not the only one Cupa visited. Iris's attire was a White T-Shirt, black windbreaker pants with red accents, white and black Nike running shoes, and she wore what seems like finger-less gloves. She looked at me half annoyed. "You gonna get up?" She asked, cracking her knuckles. "Or do I have to do it for ya?" Her tail lazily swayed behind her before staying still.

"No, no. As you were, I'll be down in a second." I quickly reply. After getting the two out of the room I opened my dresser to see what I have. After putting on a grey nylon shirt with black accents, one nylon black glove to put my right hand in, black athletic shorts with gold-yellow accents, zig-tech running shoes, and a Nike track jacket I proceeded my way to my wooden desk to pick up ma shemagh to wrap it around my neck. As I reached for my Titanfall cap I just held it up and looked at it for a while, I took a long breath before sighing. "Why the hell not?" I muttered, putting the cap back down, unwrapping my shemagh in the process as well. I then made my way downstairs to meet Iris and Cupa's surprised and questioning stares.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Asked Iris, taking in the rare sight.

"So you _can_ take those off." Exclaimed Cupa.

I just walked past the two. "We're going to be late." I say, opening the door and looking at the mix of Humans and Alpha hybrids moving across the crowded sidewalks. Also occasional vehicles passing by like old pick up trucks filled with food and water or others carrying hunting parties up to a mix of six, Humans and Alphas armed with either scoped crossbows or Winchesters, bringing in hunted wildlife such as deer and rabbits. While on the other hand the pedestrian community walked with metal boxes filled with wireless power tools and others who simply headed towards the school's cafeteria to get their morning rations. And last but not least there were people like me, recruits or such, heading towards the school's football stadium to start physical and survival training. Without thinking my body moves on it's own and kicks into automatic mode, soon I joined the flow with Iris and Cupa following right behind me with questioning faces.

**07:28:52 PM  
High School Football Field  
_No PoV_**

As the three neared the parking lot they quickly kicked their jog up a notch into a full on sprint as they had few more minutes to arrive. Meanwhile inside contained approximately twenty seven people from the ages fourteen through thirty doing a variety of activities during their limited free time. Some talked, others doing stretches, and just one or two people laying on their backs down on the grass until the instructors arrive to give them their daily dose of hell. As a fraction of two minutes came by two older men and a woman walked on the track to observe a little before finding a suitable location to address the trainees. The one in the middle cleared his throat before speaking. "Attention!" This got the attention of little to no one. The man on the right grinned a little at the failed attempt before yelling much louder.

"Attention!" His yell echoed through the whole stadium and instantly won everyone's gaze and at the same moment Nikolai, Cupa, and Iris entered the field. The right instructor leaned a bit to see the three, taking a mental note, he gently elbowed the middle instructor before flicking his head in their direction. As the middle instructor acknowledged he took control of the crowd's attention.

"Good morning um... _Cadets_." He says uncertainly, not knowing what to exactly call the newbies. "As you all are aware as of now today _should_ be a PT day."

Nikolai paid close attention to him as he emphasized the word, wondering where he was going with this. Him and the other cadets looked at the three men with confusion for none of which knew who they were nor have they seen the three.

"And as you all must know, you have not seen our faces around here. So let us introduce ourselves. My name is Adam Fleck. I'm a hand to hand combat instructor from the Patriots." Nikolai scanned Adam, he seemed to be in his mid-twenty's, slightly tanned ,dressed with a red cotton shirt, camouflage trousers, and black combat boots. Adam then nodded to the instructor on the right, signalling his turn.

"Hello assholes." He says with a deep voice mixed in with a small English accent. "Name's Dexter Winters. And for the next two weeks I'll be training you guys for long term survival tactics and improvise. I'm a survivalist from Rune." The man said. He is dark skinned, maybe in his early-thirty's. He wore rather weathered clothing, slightly torn green cotton shirt by the collar and bottom, torn jeans, and a black utility belt with a holster which contained the unmistakable shape of an extended barrel revolver (177 Dan Wesson 8") which was equipped with a small red dot sight.

As the two were done with their presentations both looked towards the woman who seemed to be in her mid-twenty's. She wore a white shirt that was tucked in black and grey camouflage shorts that stretched down to her knees, along with a nylon belt with a metal quick release buckle. There was also a sling that ran diagonal across her chest that carried a silenced sniper rifle (M98B). "Nicole Jones. Syndicate." The woman nonchalantly said with an Australian accent. To Nikolai that explained her military graded rifle, it's very rare to see such a thing out in public. That is... unless you're in Syndicate territory, name any military base in Texas out there, odds are the Syndicate has at least scavenged there once. There is only one thing we have an edge over them however, runners. Sure they know the streets, but we know the rooftops, alleys, and metros. If a care package lands on a high building send spiders like Kelly to handle it. One lands in the forests? We send Wolves, they specialize in natural navigation, giving the ability to find a swift route in the matter of seconds. and with their speed? It's almost as if they're ghosts how they can slip past the hard, solid trees. "I will be looking over your marksmanship and agility, I will also teach you how to get the most hours of awareness without sleep."

As she said this a boy with blue-grey eyes that had dark blonde hair and freckles at the age of fourteen, dressed in a purple polo and black jeans hesitantly raised his hand. Natalie saw the kid in the crowd and nodded, acknowledging the boy's presence. "I-... Is that even possible?"

"What's your name?" Nicole asked in a carefree tone.

"Bobby..." The boy answered, keeping his gaze.

"Age?"

"Fourteen."

"Heh heh... Depending on how fit you are... I'd say you'd last one day... and a quarter?" Nicole said. That aside, Adam picked the crowds attention right up.

"Us three have been hired by Erin for one reason and one reason only." He says, making sure he has everyone's attention. "To shape the Fireflies up into an exceptional and expendable militia. And what more than to start with it's new blood, using new methods?

Dexter looked at the sight before shouting. "Cadets!" With that single word everyone snapped their backs straight since he by far is the most intimidating out of all the three. "Look to your left!" He barked.

Nikolai did not hesitate to follow the command, looking to his left he saw the fourteen year old named Bobby and noticed a rather curvy looking girl that had red dyed hair on the inside that stretched down to her shoulders. She was dressed in a short white tank top and a black miniskirt with a red belt, also wearing cargo boots. The other person that stood out to him was a man with white hair who seemed in his late twenty's that wore a white checkered jacket with an Attack on Titan T-shirt, black cargo pants, and... black loafers.

"To your right!"

This time Nikolai saw a hooded girl that seemed to be slightly just above his age, she had green hair and wore a dark green pullover in which the left sleeve seemed to be completely torn off, revealing a tattoo of a dragon, below that she was also wearing a black miniskirt with grey accents, torn blue stockings, and had black sneakers. A familiar face could be seen across the crowd, you should know him as Jay. There was also one person Niko can see, a long haired brunette, green eyes, and wore a dark green nylon shirt with a creeper face on the left sleeve, black "combat skirt" with green accents, and black/green converses.

"Now tell me." Dexter says as he steps closer to the crowd. "Who here will ever in your lives... take a bullet... arrow... bite, or whatever the hell we're dealing with for anyone in this field?" A brief period of silence came by before all the cadets looked at each other baffled by what their new instructor asked. Dexter slowly turned his head left, then to his right. He turned his around to walk back until a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"I will."

Nikolai looked up to see the brunette in the nylon shirt stand up from her seat, staring Dexter straight at the back of his head.

"Oh, shit..." Nikolai murmured to himself inaudibly as he saw Dexter turn back at the girl. He rubbed his right temple before speaking.

"Really?" He said with a baffled face. The girl gave a stern nod. "Hm." Dexter looked around to confirm she's the only one standing. "What's your name?"

"Jericho." The creeper-hybrid says.

"You're an Alpha?" Dexter once more asks once more, keeping his glare. It's at this moment Nikolai mentally noted the two's glares, how they seem to be having an optical showdown at the moment, both waiting for the other to break. He also remembered he's experienced this once, and as far as he knew when it comes to possible outcomes... Shits about to go down. Even Nicole and Adam seemed interested.

"No." Jericho says as she shrugs her shoulders. "I'm just your regular_ hybrid_."

Dexter gave the first blink. "It takes a very committed volunteer to do what you claim."

"I'm aware."

"So you're ready to give yourself up if it ever happens?"

"Any time, any where."

Without another word, Dexter took out his revolver and pointed it at her center mass. "Let's put it to the test." He said as a small gritted smile exposed itself on his face. Jericho tensed up.

"You're gonna shoot?" Jericho said in a rather taunting tone.

"Not you." The survivalist says before moving his arm sideways. Now aiming the gun towards the green haired girl that wore a hooded pullover. The girl however, nonchalantly raised her head and looked into the barrel of the revolver, seemingly unfazed by the turn of events so far. "Here's how this is going to go down." Dexter said before spinning the cylinder of the revolver, letting all the loaded bullets fall to the ground. He then reached in his left pocket to bring out one lone .44 magnum round and loaded it into the gun. "This game is what we call Russian roulette." Dexter then spun the cylinder one last time before aiming it back towards the hooded girl. "If you're what you say you are, step in."

Jericho looked at the green haired girl, then at Dexter. She then hesitantly stepped forward, slowly until she came in front of the barrel, fully covering the original target.

"Each shot I will give you a chance to leave, if you do, this zombie will get injured or in the worst case killed, because of you." Says Dexter as he pulls back the firearm hammer. Jericho said nothing, spreading her arms apart she held her breath as tension built up. As Dexter pulled the trigger the revolver released the sound of a click. Jericho let her breath out and gasped for air, her muscles tensing up. "So what's it gonna be now? Pull out?"

"No." The creeper huffed, spreading her arms again, bracing for another round. "Guess I got the luck huh?"

"Heh." Jericho chuckled. Letting the revolver down to scratch his hair. As Jericho let her guard and drop her arms Dexter suddenly raised the revolver towards her head. "Fuck!" She yelled, using both arms to cover her face as multiple clicks sounded off in second intervals.

"Hmph, last chamber." Dexter grinned. "Get out of the way!" He ordered.

"How bout' you go screw yourself?" The girl coldly answered, gritting her teeth. As she heard the iron hammer being pulled down she cursed behind her teeth and shut her eyes tightly. This time a deafening bang sounded. She let out a cuss along with the hoard of people around her screaming or gasping. A silence went by until she slowly opened her right eyelid, looking at the steam coming out of the black barreled revolver. She looked down to her feet before touching parts of her body such as her waist and forehead for confirmation she wasn't dead. As she was dazed by confusion it did not take long for Nikolai and other humans to realize what actually happened. A blank, a bullet without the projectile, just prismatic brown gunpowder. Jericho looked up to Dexter, breathing heavily with questioning eyes, he simply dropped the firearm back in it's hard shell drop-leg holster.

"Let this be an example, cadets." He said gesturing his index finger as he spoke, looking around while walking towards Jericho. "She will die an easy death, but not only will she save someones life... She proved that she is capable and has more balls than _any _of you in this field right now." As he reached Jericho he extended his arm, Jericho looked at his hand in dismay. Dexter shrugged his shoulders. "It'll be... _amusing_ to teach you." He says with a smile as if the last ten minutes never happened. Jericho hesitated before meeting his hand and shaking it. Dexter's face quickly straightened, putting on a authoritative demeanor. "Training starts now." He says firmly. Adam and Nicole quickly go down the row of cadets pointing at each one, telling them a number from one to three. After Dexter left, Jericho let herself fall in the grass, out of shock and adrenaline.

"Those who got the number one stay in the center of the field with me, two goes to the right with Dexter, and three goes with Nicole." Adam informs. The group of cadets just stays sitting down for a moment to let the past ten minutes sink in their minds. Until Adam claps his hands hard, so you can hear the echo. " To the west,north, and south, move! Quick march!" He yells. Everyone then hastily stood up and hurried towards their assigned areas and instructors. Only twelve people remained where they seated, each sitting a good distance away from each other. Those people who's names were known by Nikolai was himself, Cupa, Iris, Sam, Kelly, Yuri, Bobby, Jericho, and Jay. There were only three others he did not know. Adam clapped his hands one last time. "Right. Alright as of now I will explain to you how you all will be trained for as long as you stay in the Fireflies. We will be training day-to-day, Monday until Friday. The weekend of course will be your opportunity to catch a break or dear god if anyone will do such. _Help_ out provide traps for mobs I swear you'll might get a high five and a sit-one-out. Don't take my word for it though." He cleared his throat and made sure all eyes were on him before speaking again. "From this moment you all will be part of the same platoon which will be known as Echo. You all will share a hotel we've secured recently in which each platoon will have their own floor."

Nikolai, hearing this, raised a question. He quickly shot up his arm. As Adam acknowledged him he spoke. "Yeah, is this going to be an actual _actual_ hotel? Or just a motel."

"It's an actual hotel. Holiday Inn, the one that's near Sea World." Adam responded. Iris then raised her hand. "Yes, you there, wolf ears."

"Yeah, a platoon? What is that exactly?"

"It's an entire group made up of three to five squads."

"Squads?" Iris asks once more before peeking up her ears.

"Smaller groups usually made up of four but in this case..." Adam stopped for a second to count. "Seeing that there are twelve of you we would have three squads. But to boost productivity efficiency we will have squads of three. Which brings me to my last topic, training methods. Everyday we will switch instructors for each platoons so one day you will have me, the other'll have Nicole, and finally you'll have Dexter, then the cycle repeats." He stops there abruptly. Which earned a question from the man in a Attack on Titan shirt. Adam acknowledged him by nodding.

"Ja... Is that it?" He asked, with a faint trace of a German accent. Adam put his hands on his waist and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Hmm, yep. Pretty much about it." The man looked at the instructor with disbelief. Ignoring this, Adam continued. "All right, now that all questions are out of the way let's get introduced to each other." Adam looked back at the white haired man. "Care to introduce yourself?" A moment of time went by before he spoke.

"Grelle... Shnieder. Um, Human." He answered. Adam nodded before looking at the wolf-hybrid.

"You." He said, pointing at someone else.

"Uhm... Iris." The wolf answered. Not wasting another second, he turned towards the green haired girl that wore a torn green pull-over.

"Let's hear it."

"Cora... Zombie-hybrid" She answered calmly. Adam simply went down the row one by one.

"Scarlet, Spider-hybrid." The girl with red dyed hair on the inside replied.

"Kelly, Spider-hybrid." The short purple haired girl answered.

"Cupa! Creeper-Alpha!" The girl in green optimistically answered.

"Hold up. What makes you of all people here an Alpha?" Adam asked.

"I dont die when I explode." Cupa answered.

"Hm, that'll be... useful. Next."

"Nikolai, Human... hybrid I guess."

"You _guess_?" Adam asked. Nikolai pulled down his track jacket sleeve, revealing the glowing Prisma.

"To their world."

"Next."

"Bobby, Human."

"You're... a bit young." Exclaimed Adam.

"Problem?"

"Not a bit, but your parents?"

"They'll find out in a couple of days... till then I'm at the high school, helping with the rations." Bobby said, with a confident smirk.

"I think I like you already." Adam chuckled before pointing at an enderman. "You?"

"Jay, Mason. Ender-Alpha."

"Alright, seems like Cupa has some competition!" The instructor then points towards a brunette.

"Jericho, Creeper-hybrid."

"And also the first person who stared down Dex and lived to tell the tale... Alright next."

"Yuri! Skeleton-hybrid!" Yuri replied, putting her hand into a straight salute.

"Last one." Adam says as he points at someone sitting behind Cora.

"Samuel, Human." Adam exchanged a nod with Sam before continuing.

"I'll just leave the whole get-to-know-each-other part to you guys. Anyway, training begins now, choose a partner. Only one, you have a total of twenty seconds starting..." He then checked his watch for a second. "Now." As he spoke, everyone quickly stood up at exchanged glaces at each other, as if by their eyes could somehow accept or decline others. Only two people stood as they were, only Nikolai and Grelle, both just looking at the group scramble for a teammate. Well... up until Bobby tapped Grelle's shoulder, offering partnership, Grelle just stood up and joined his fourteen year old teammate. At a brief moment of silence Nikolai then felt a nudge on his back.

"Huh?" He said as he lifted his head to look up at the golden dawn sky. A split second of confusion went by before a pair of amber irises came into view, he recognized the girl immediately, it was Cupa.

"Sup'?" She greeted with an open smile, waving her hand.

"Partners, huh?" Nikolai replied beneath his breath.

"Weell~" Cupa said in a teasing tone, rolling her eyes in the process too. "I didn't come here for that reason..." She says, still using a playful tone. Nikolai took a deep breath before hoisting himself up.

"Alright, well, I guess I'll go ask Jericho then." Nikolai says as he takes a few steps away from the Alpha. Cupa reacted as she watched her intentional teammate walk away.

"Wha- hey! Wait!" The creeper stuttered. Nikolai stopped right when she spoke, he couldn't help but smirk a little. He then did an about-face.

"Well." Nikolai says as he spreads his arms apart in mockery. "If you _insist_." He chuckles as he walks towards the creeper, positioning himself next to her. Cupa let out a small hiss of frustration, seeing how he turned the tables on her. Five seconds went by before the instructor looked up from his watch to speak.

"Time's up. Everyone got a partner?" He asks, followed by a series of grunts and nods of approval. "Alright, hope you chose someone you hate!" Adam says optimistically with a smile. During everyone's confusion of the words he said, Adam's eyes narrowed and with it his smile faded away. "Because now you all are going to fight to the death..." He says in the most dreadful tone that would make anyone shiver to the bone. A _very _long period of silence came by before Nikolai broke it with a nervous laugh and ended it with a exaggerated sigh...

_'We're all fucked...'_

* * *

**Holy shit, 9,000 thousand words and I haven't gotten through all of the new character's development yet. Kinda strange though. Although this makes the story at least 50,000 words long, I feel like I'm just getting started. Anyway next chapter I'll try to give everyone a PoV and a small back story on how they came to join the Fireflies. And also I'd like to announce the name for the OC Squad is Tempest, since the poll took too long with one vote I managed to say 'fuck it' and get a piece of paper to asked my classmates on which they prefer. It nearly beat Frost with a two vote ****difference.**


	13. Chapter 11: Training Day

**Alright, this'll be a bit tricky to do... Phases will be arranged in "Heats" which will be two 1v1 competitive events or 2v2 to 3v3 teamwork events And at small breaks from all the action there will be time for OC character lore. And on how they came to Earth for those with a mob character.**

**Lastly, for those who still don't get the concept of mob hybrid alphas. They're basically hybrids with one or two special traits or powers. You'll learn as the story goes on.**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Training Day**

**10/05/2017, 07:29:52 AM  
Football (Training) Field, Firefly Territory  
Basic Combat Training: Phase 01: Unarmed, Heat: 1**

_**No PoV**_

"Yes, I mean it... This center area will be our little Thunderdome." Adam says as he looks around the cadets standing before him. Every cadet looked at him with disbelief and anger. "Hm, good, I see some of you are... eager. Let's get started." Adam then brings out a clipboard and a pen, without looking up from the paper he continues to speak. "All of you will fight the partner you chose for a warm up until we actually start mixing things up. For these fights the rules are simple: beat your opponent to the point of death or where he or she cannot fight anymore." The instructor informed with a sharp calm demeanor. "You can use any tactic you want, whether clean or dirty, it doesn't matter. There _are_ no rules in the means of survival after all... Alright! Now who will go first? Let's see." Adam says as he scans the groups of cadets. "You two, center. Now." The instructor ordered as he pointed at a orange haired girl and a boy with cybernetic eyes.

"W-Whoa, hey please wait a-." Nikolai began but got interrupted.

"Nope. Front and center right now. We're not waiting now or never. You two make sure to either goodbye or apologize to each other before beating the living shit out of one another." He then raised his voice for everyone to hear. "First fight! Cupa versus Nikolai!" He let out an exaggerated sigh before mumbling inaudibly to himself. "Place your bets... Man... I'm definitely going to hell for this."

Cupa narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth out of hopelessness. She then looked to her left to see Nikolai with a same expression, but only for him he ran his fingers through his short black hair out of frustration. Cupa then closed her eyes shut and took a large breath before walking forward, into the designated area. She heard her friend's voice behind her. "Oh, hell no. You're not thinking of-"

"If you have a way out of this, now is the time to speak up. If not, step right up, and I swear I'll make it quick." Cupa interrupted, with a taunt at the last part of her sentence. Nikolai grunted and took a small step back, he hesitated before cursing under his breath, soon he slowly made his way towards his new enemy. Cupa turned around and took the moment to analyse her opponent. Other than knowing she could take advantage of Nikolai's passive nature towards her she then noticed that she had no clue of what he is capable of in a fight since she has not seen him in such conflict. But to Nikolai's advantage, he's been in enough fights to thoroughly scan her physical potential. Them both have rather slim body structure so the odds remain fifty-fifty on their endurance. However, Nikolai has an edge on speed and dexterity while Cupa has the upper hand when it comes to close quarter combat offence and well... explosives.

"Please don't make me do this." Nikolai mumbled, readying himself with clutched fists halfway up.

"You have no choice." Cupa replied, solemnly. As she put herself in a stance as well. She looked to Adam who stood at a fair distance. He nodded his head while bringing his hand up.

As the instructor dropped his hand he shouted. "Begin!"

Without another word Cupa swiftly dashed to her opponent in a zig-zag line, hoping to gain ground advantage and a element of surprise. Out of the confusion, Nikolai forced himself to bring up his arms to defend against the incoming attack. Within striking distance, Cupa put all of her weight into her first punch and swung with her dominant hand, which was her left. Nikolai responded to this by swerving to his right, barely dodging her strike to the point her fist was extremely close to his left ear. Attempting a counter, he threw his right arm to knock his opponent's fist aside so he can follow up with a left jab. But as soon as his palm made contact with Cupa's limb, fire bursted from the tips of her knuckles to her forearm, releasing a deafening bang. Nikolai yelled in pain as he clutched his burned right palm with his left, all while a ringing sound filled his ears, blocking all sounds from the outside. Cupa used this opportunity to unleash a barrage of punches. Nikolai brought up his arms, blocked and dodged left and right while looking for some opportunity to present itself. As Cupa landed a couple of hits she suddenly let out a gasp of pain as she felt a crushing force on her right ankle. Glancing down, she found Niko's shoe smashing at her heel, without any warning, a burning sensation came across her left temple that knocked her head back and sent her stumbling backwards.

During her efforts of re-balancing herself she looked up towards Niko to see that he was furiously running towards her with amazing speed. As she braced herself for another punch she fell into a brief period of confusion as she saw Nikolai jump up instead of preparing a lunge. While in flight towards Cupa, Niko bent both his knees before kicking, performing a dropkick on Cupa's chest before using his hands to cushion his fall. As both fighters fell, Nikolai was the first to stand up, as he did he put his hand to his left ear to check his hearing. Niko came to the conclusion it just might be temporary... hopefully. Slowly approaching Cupa's body on the grass, he dropped his left hand on her chest to hold her down. Despite all efforts of resistance Cupa displayed it was clear Nikolai was stronger than her, she then saw her opponent slowly clutch his right hand into a fist before hesitantly moving back, preparing for a strike. Before Nikolai swung his fist, Cupa saw his lips move but did not hear any words come out. The last thing the Alpha witnessed was a fist swinging towards her right temple, after that stars filled her blank vision.

As Nikolai swung his fist in the same spot two more times he readied for another. When he tried to it seemed his conscience regained control of him and he slowly opened his clutched hand, his fingers trembled before settling down. He stared blankly at Cupa's unconscious body before standing up, realizing what he's done. As his hearing slowly recovered he heard Adam's nonchalant voice.

"Next fight... Iris versus Scarlet." Niko turned his head to his left, his eyes slowly trailed up towards the man's head. He began walking before his rage got the better of him, like an animal released from a cage, Nikolai lunged for an attack at the instructor. Adam quickly turned back to parry Niko's strike, then he took a small sharp object out of his pocket and hit it against the attacker's arm. Nikolai felt the blunt hit against his forearm, reaching for a counter, he yelped when a sudden sharp pain occurred. As Niko took a grip around Adam's wrist to get him off a slight blur obscured his vision, in addition to his situation, breathing became much more difficult. The last thing he saw was the reason for this, an auto-injector.

As much as the boy struggled to stay awake, his grip gradually lessened over time, before fully going limp as a sign of unconsciousness. As he slowly and gently fell to the ground, Adam looked to the rest of the group and spoke up. "As I was saying, Iris! Scarlet! On deck, now."

"W-What did you do to him?" Asked Iris, wide eyed.

"I put him to sleep." Adam answered vaguely as he disengaged the needle and put it back in his pocket. "He's done for today, along with Cupa." He turned his head to the first two people he saw. A man with white hair and a kid with a purple polo. "You two, Grelle and Bobby. Get these two to Victor, well save your fight for another day."

"Ja, we'll get them there." Grelle says as he nods his head. "Bobby, get the girl. I got this guy." Bobby slowly walked up to Cupa to examine her condition before attempting to carry the Creeper.

"Whoa she's... light." Grunted Bobby as he heaved her up bridal style. He looked up to see Grelle throw Niko over his right shoulder before flicking his head, signalling Bobby to follow.

As the two carried the injured people out of the field, Iris and Scarlet entered the fight zone, walking around in a circle casually, evaluating each other.

"Alright." Says Scarlet as she stretches her arms. "So... How's your day going?"

"Had to skip breakfast because of a certain someone, so I'd say... meh, about as good as it gets." Iris replies, cracking her knuckles in the process. Scarlet let off a small laugh before speaking.

"You know... this kind of reminds me of something back home."

Iris swiftly dropped into a fighting position, with her fingers dug deep into the soil of the football field, ready to launch herself. "Not interested." She bluntly says as her body tenses.

"In the end we won." Scarlet breathed out, preparing herself for the oncoming conflict that was about to unravel.

Meanwhile in the sidelines, Samuel scratched his cheek. "Won?" He asked himself. A girl with a green pullover and green hair overheard him.

"Come on, you can't think humans are the only ones who wage wars, right?" Cora says as she steps into a spot to the right of Sam which made him jump in surprise at the sudden presence.

"Really?" Samuel says, recovering while scratching his hair. "It just seemed everyone from your world here seems very passive towards one another."

"Yeah, it may seem like that." Cora replies, putting her hands in the pockets of her green pullover hoodie. "It's only because we've come to the fact that we are all in the same boat now, you know?"

"Uh yeah, guess I can see that."

"But as to the 'won', that was a recent land grab between the spiders and wolves back in Minecraft." Cora says over the background murmurs from others and the shout of Adam declaring the start of the battle.

* * *

Yeah for some reason I feel like the song "Brianstorm" by Arctic Monkeys is just perfect background music of the fight. Probably because of the faced paced action I imagine in my head.

* * *

Iris swiftly lashed out at her opponent, using her nails as some sort of improvised weapons. From a spectator's view you could say she looks capable of literally ripping people apart from how fast and sharp her strikes seem. But Scarlet on the other hand nearly dodged every single one by jumping, ducking, and using natural acrobatics to jump on her opponent's extended forearm with one foot before using the other to perform a roundhouse blow to the head in a kick.

Samuel jerked his head back as he witnessed the blow along with others whom responded with a hiss or "Oh", he felt almost as if he could feel it just by looking at it. "Damn, they're... really fighting it out huh?" He muttered.

"Just plain rivalries." Cora responded. "Come to think of it, I've never had the chance to see a fight like this until now."

"Rivalries?..." Asked Sam.

"Well, as you can see, the attack strategy of a wolf is to aim low. Cut off movement and get their opponents or prey fall to the ground before finishing it off." As time came as if to prove her point, Scarlet landed rather roughly after a high vault off of the wolf. While trying to regain her balance, Iris took the chance to lash at the spider's ankles. As her claw-like nails reached, blood quickly shot out from Scarlet's ankles as soon as the claws made contact. As Scarlet fell to the ground she gave it all to regain her senses back. When she did, Iris dived for her to pin her to the ground. Raising up her good leg, Scarlet used Iris's momentum against her to successfully counter the pounce and throw her off.

"But... as to that, spiders rely heavily on defense. Tire their enemies before striking by using taunt methods and following up by an acrobatic performance. This is why the two races have been at it for as long as I remember." Says Cora, over the sound of grunting and vicious growling. As Scarlet and Iris gained equal ground, Iris took advantage of her previous hit and started one last effort of fury. Scarlet, unable to preform any dodge of some sort, had no choice but to stand her ground.

"Then who will win in a direct fight then?" Sam asked, observing the two go at it with each landing their own strikes and successful blocks in quick succession.

"Is this all you got?!" Scarlet grunted, blocking a strike with her left fist while delivering a heavy hit with her right. Iris staggered back before coughing up blood. "Are you done now?"

Iris wiped her mouth while speaking. "No, never, I'll never be done!" She yelled, going into another fury, slashing her claws. First strike hit Scarlet just below her chest, while attempting to recover Iris swung again to cut up her opponent's left cheek, causing Scarlet to spin around and collapse on her right knee due to the force of impact. Finally Iris gritted her teeth before crossing her hands to slash both at the same time on Scarlet's back, causing the spider to fall to the ground while biting her lip to stop any painful screams.

"The wolf, obviously." Cora answered, watching the wounded wolf slowly limping over to the spider with it's right hand ready for a final strike. "It will _always_ be the wolf..." As Cora says this, Scarlet, eyes wide open, clenched her fist, ripping the short grass while breathing rapid and hoarsely from agonizing pain. Samuel looked at the aftermath in awe, speechless that the two's endurance and ability to fight for this long, he also had thoughts of what would happen to him if he would of chose either of them as partners.

"That's it isn't it?" He says. Cora responded to this with silence, with her eyes still setting onto the fighting zone, watching Iris slowly limp towards Scarlet who was biting her lip to stop any agonized screams from coming out of her mouth, all while clenching her fists to rip off the short grass around her. Breathing rapidly and heavily, she began to crawl as fast as she could.

Adam looked at the aftermath of the fight before setting his eyes on a clipboard, as he landed his pen on the sheet of paper he murmured to himself. "Alright, winner of the second fight would be..." Adam looked up in confirmation.

As Iris fully approached Scarlet's body she readied her hand for the final strike. But suddenly, the spider threw small pieces of grass back at her before spinning around to make a last ditch effort to punch her opponent in the center mass. As both, the wolf's and the spider's strikes hit, they remained there for a good couple of minutes. When the crowd of spectators questioned who will exactly win it was that moment Iris coughed before slowly falling to the ground, whereas Scarlet made two steps back, nearly losing her balance as she clenched her wounded area just beneath her chest.

"What?" Sam murmured in confusion

"The wolf would always win in a simple and _fair_ fight." Cora stated. "But this is not one, considering any tactic is allowed."

"What just happened?" Samuel asked once more to the calm zombie.

"Can't you tell?" Cora nonchalantly says, shielding her eyes from the sun. "Poison." Cora looked at her human partner to see his eyes open with concern. "And. Should I tell you, Scarlet and Kelly's are not lethal. Only cave spiders are. The poison Scarlet has will just put her victim out of commission in large doses."

Adam's eyes widened a little in surprise for a slit second before writing a score next to Scarlet's name on the sheet of paper the clipboard was holding. "Scarlet..." He finished his incomplete sentence from before when the odds were turned. He looked up to meet the glare of the spider's red eyes. "You are dismissed. Go join the other four in the clinic. Scarlet continued her glare for a moment before scoffing and turning towards the exit off the field, slowly limping away. As Adam watched her he opened his mouth. "Hey, Ender..." He waited for a response for a couple of seconds before turning his head towards the boy with purple eyes and a black shirt who was talking to Jericho. "Jay!" Adam yelled to get his attention.

"Huh?" Jay says, turning back at his instructor. Adam simply flicked his head towards the limping spider. It took a second or two to register in Jay's mind before he got the hint. "Oh, got it." He muttered before jogging to catch up to Scarlet. "Hey!" he called out to get her attention.

"What?" She responds as she cranes her head around to see Jay catching up.

"Need help?" Jay asked as he approached the spider.

"Not at all." Scarlet simply answered, limping off. Jay looked at her with narrowed eyes as she ended stumbling not five seconds after she declined his help.

"Hm." He murmured before he walked towards her.

"Hey! What're you- H-Huh?!" She says as Jay suddenly picked her up from behind, carrying her bridal style. "H-Hey put me down this instant!" Scarlet hissed as she resisted and started pushing Jay away and giving an occasional hit. Jay just remained silent as he closed his eyes, soon purple glowing sand started to come into view, circling around the two before more particles joined. "Are you listening!?" Scarlet continued her efforts but soon found out it's useless and that whether she likes it or not, Jay is going to teleport. As the glowing sand reached it's maximum speed, and light intensity, as a few seconds passed the two rendered into sand and seemed to vanish into thin air.

As Adam looked at the two teleport he then turned around to Echo. The platoon looked at each other anxiously, awaiting the order that will make them beat the other unconscious. "What are you guys waiting for?... Start stretching, you will be resuming your PT routine now." Adam murmured as he walked off into the sidelines, leaving some confused, and others relieved. Adam cleared his throat before speaking. "What you just saw was a heat. Since you also need time of the day to exercise we will have two sets of people versus each other, whether it may be one on one or team one versus team two. It's best you improve yourselves while you can, for rewards will come to the victor occasionally while the other will receive..." He paused himself to pick out his words carefully. "Rather uncomfortable conditions." He finished. "But of course, all this is decided on the instructor." As he looked at the group standing idle by he spoke one last time. "You can start right now... You, Jericho."

"Um, yes?" Jericho responded, straightening her back.

"I trust you can lead this group from here on out until your platoon leader comes... She's late." Adam muttered before turning to take his leave.

"Adam." Jericho called to him.

"What?"

"You mean, you aren't our leader?"

"No... Why would I be? It's not like I only tend to you guys, I have to make the other platoons beat each other's faces too."

"Well, then... Who is she?" Jericho asked once more. Adam let a small smirk appear before speaking.

"Oh, you'll know soon enough. She may not look like it, but her mind makes up for her rather... _disability _to fight alongside you." With that sentence he quickly took his leave and left everyone on the field. Jericho looked at him blankly as he disappeared from sight, she then turned towards her assigned platoon. She observed everyone's smiles and sighs of relief and some seemed happy at the fact herself is in control of their training for today.

"Jericho!" Yuri called out. As she got Jericho's attention she spoke again with sparkling eyes and an open smile. "If you're in charge does that mean you can shorten our mile run?! Or... or even the amount of push-ups?" Jericho looked at the skeleton with bewilderment, how can she just act like that? Was she not paying attention to the recent fights? Has Yuri even given a thought of consideration if she could be the one falling on her knees when it's her turn? Has _anyone_ ever thought about it?

"Heh... heh." Jericho lowered her head and began laughing softly to herself. Yuri tilted her head at this.

"...Jericho?"

* * *

**01:23:05 PM  
Clinic B (Outdoor Area)  
_Nikolai PoV_**

My eyes slowly opened to the gentle sound of trees rustling to the harmony of singing and chirping birds, all while a gentle breeze of wind fanned my face. My vision hasn't focused to it's surroundings yet, but from what I could tell by recalling my memory, I'm most likely at an outdoor medical area on a make-shift sleeping bag. On top of it of course, no one has time to actually stuff you in it anymore considering the fact monsters in this area are becoming more frequent and with it more injured people. I blinked multiple times before my A.I. unit finally warmed up to give me more responsive feedback. Usually I would try my best to get back up and work but this moment seemed... Peaceful actually. There were few moments like this ever since the event happened so my laid back personality had an advantage over my workaholic side, so with that I took the chance to stop and breathe for once.

"So... do you think he's alive?" I heard a distant voice.

"I think so, they wouldn't... actually kill one another would they?" Another one said.

"I don't know... That explosion seemed a bit too close for comfort don't you think?" The first voice replied

"They didn't put him in a body bag so that's... good I guess."

_'...Okay seriously, what the fuck?' _I muttered in my thoughts as those sentences completely obliterated the atmosphere I was enjoying. I turned my head towards the source to see Grelle and Bobby talking to each other, seemingly passing time.

"Well, I'm up." I muttered, sitting up straight to stretch my neck. "I'm fucked up, but I'm up." Bobby jumped at my sudden movement with an almost inaudible yelp. He couldn't have thought I died... Did he?

"O-Oh, hey!" Bobby greeted in a hurry. "So you pulled through, huh? Congrats!" He says, still startled.

...He definitely did. I waved it off casually before looking around. We're in a backyard which pretty much explains why the usual busy sounds from the militia are distant. I'm sheltered under a wooden backyard patio with three others, as I looked more closely I caught a glimpse of orange-golden hair which anyone can see that it is Cupa. The second person was conscious, she was sitting on the edge of a flat table while a medic examined her back for injuries, but as from what I see at first glance she looked almost as if she walked into a woodchipper. The medic sighed before resting his hand on his head.

"I told you once to be careful with your body... you screwed it up. Then I warned you once more... And here we are again!" He scolded, adjusting his light blue medical gloves.

The girl weakly crossed her arms before flicking her head away from the medic with an annoyed expression. "Please..." She muttered.

"And to think two weeks ago you burned through four other potions to heal your fall damage." The medic continued as he lifted her shoulder length hair to check for any damage to the neck area.

"Stop..."

"This isn't just something you pull out after punching a tree Scarlet, this shit takes time to make!"

"I know, Yusuf!" Scarlet irritably blurted out, startling people in the area.

Yusuf put his hands out in apology. "I'm sorry..." He firmly says. "It's just that you know I'm an apprentice and you're making my job a bit harder than it needs to be." Yusuf then pulled out a small bottle that contained some sort of glowing red liquid. "Luckily for you though, a fresh new batch has recently been produced.

Scarlet looked towards the bottle. "Is it safe?"

"If it wasn't would I be giving it to you?"

"Is that a trick question?" Scarlet replied.

"Take your pick." Yusuf remarked, setting the glass bottle next to her. "Regeneration Two. Wash out the taste with water when you get the chance, other than that you're good after a good fifteen minutes." Scarlet closed her eyes before slapping Yusuf's back as he took his leave. I then noticed he was approaching me. "Hey, how was that fight?" He put his hand behind his head as he looked over to Cupa's body. "You really put a dent on her foot, you know? Had to give her my last healing potion."

"I'm... sorry about that." I apologized, before looking towards Cupa's direction.

"Ah, don't worry about it, it _is_ in the job description anyway. Get'em up and back into action, ask questions later." He says, leaning on a wooden pole that was supporting the roof of the patio.

I replied by smiling weakly. "I don't think I've seen people like you around. What are you exactly, if you don't mind me asking?"

The medic took off both of his gloves while speaking. "Well, I'm Yusuf. A witch in training." He then put his gloves in his right pocket, now that I analyze him fully the first thing I picked up was that he has some sort of heterochromia, one eye was green and the other was a bright cyan blue. He had pale skin, wore a white cotton shirt under a brown worn fleece hoodie with the sleeves ripped to the elbows. Just beneath that was pure black pants along with a utility belt that held multiple bottles with different colors on the left side of his waist along with a pouch which most likely contained medical supplies, to the right side of his waist was a holstered revolver (Colt Model 1851) with a dark steel finish, extra bullets were lined up in a bandolier strap which was wrapped around his right thigh. He had brown colored cargo trousers and black mountain boots. "Well." He says. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel like sh-" Before I could finish that sentence I've come to the realization that no pain remained. "What?" I muttered as I examined my body for wounds, nothing was visible though I can't find a scratch. After cupping my hand to the ear Cupa deafened with an explosion I grew confused as no traces of blood could be found. "Pretty... good actually." Yusuf's mouth gaped open a little.

"Uh, how good? Do you feel any pain?" He asked rather urgently.

"None?" I answered, tilting my head slightly. "Why is that a bad sign?"

"No! Not at all, if anything that's the best news I've heard in months!" Yusuf replied.

"In month- just what did you give me?" I asked, checking for anything unusual about my body.

"An experimental potion... sorry for not getting your consent."

"No problem." I say as I look inside the collar of my shirt and rolling up my right sleeve to inspect my Prisma. "It's not the first time someone has done that. Two questions though."

"Well, you have every right to. What do you need to know?" Yusuf says as he walks over towards a chemistry set on a table to the right of me.

"Experimental?" I ask.

Yusuf simply picked one glass bottle from the stand and looked at it's contents, most likely thinking of a handful of words to describe the basics of alchemy. "Well, as witches... we make potions to support fellow mobs with enhancements. _But_... A rather odd occurrence happens to humans when they take a potion brewed by us, to put it bluntly they die, if not, close. We are in a decline out of standard medical supplies so Raven asked my teacher for some sort of adapted potion you all could use safely." He then opens the cork of the bottle and pours in what I'm guessing gunpowder before stirring it around.

"Then I suppose you just choose some random guy with an injury and give him a potential lethal potion for experimental purposes?"

Yusuf paused for a moment. "When you put it like that... Anyway Icarus, not just _anyone_. You're special apparently given that a blessing is on your arm."

"You know about this?" I asked

"How could I _not _know, seeing that wing stunt that pretty much blew away everything in a near mile radius. Pretty hard to miss." Yusuf then puts the potion an a rack with two others. "Alright what's your other question?"

"Oh, yeah is she..." I took a glance at Scarlet walking around the backyard looking around. "Always like this?" I finished, looking back at Yusuf's general direction. He let out a smirk.

"Most of the time. Back home her parents always came to my teacher, asking for a potion or two to heal her injuries when she felt adventurous. Despite her childish attitude though, she doe's have a good side once and a while but... You only see it when she wants to show it." As he opened his mouth to say more the backyard door slammed open suddenly revealing a gasping Yuri and behind her was everyone else on Echo in a similar state, breathing and sweating except for Jericho, she was breathing heavily but not as much as everyone else who seemed like they were dying. "What the shit?" Yusuf muttered as he looked at them.

Yuri said nothing, she was actually looking at me, Grelle, and Bobby with a sharp gaze.

* * *

**05:37:51 PM  
****School ****Cafeteria**

To make a long story short it seems like when Scarlet, Iris, Cupa, and I were out, Adam put Jericho in charge for their usual exercises. Well, not only did she take charge Jericho seemed rather an 'evil dictator' instead of a coach as Yuri described. She made them do not one, apparently not two, but three miles, along with tripling the amount of push-ups and sit-ups we usually do. Right now the whole platoon is in the school's cafeteria waiting for our dinner rations, now in our usual clothing. The atmosphere seemed nostalgic to me though, it's like I could look at the long tables and with one blink later all the survivors around here were replaced with students, bandoleers and holsters were replaced with backpacks and pencils, people talking about what they're going to do on the weekend rather than what we are going to do when our seemingly diminishing medical supplies run out. As I looked into the fragment of time for a while the sound of snapping fingers and a waving hand obscured my vision. I blinked to see my rations right in front of me, weird, I don't remember getting up? I looked at the waving hand in front of me and traced it back to Cupa who was located on the seat to the right of me, her eyebrows were furrowed as a worried look ran across her face, her mouth moved but no words seemed to follow. After that sound began to fill my ears again.

"What?" I said, becoming more aware of my senses.

"Don't 'what' me." Cupa says crossing her arms.

"Give him a break." Muttered Samuel who was seated in front of me, across the table resting his head on his arm. "After what's all happened, thinking would probably be a good thing for all of us."

"Are you kidding?" Another voice sounded to the left of me. I moved my head to see Kelly. "He hasn't moved or spoke at all! I nearly thought he was a zombie!" She exclaimed.

I heard Iris's voice speak up after. "Well, I kinda have to agree with Kelly." She speaks for the first time after the fistfights. When she woke up in the Clinic she seemed rather... pissed. "I mean we had to get his rations for him for Notch's sake." I looked back at the tray in front of me.

_'Is that what happened?' _I thought to myself. I then felt a tug on my plaid shirt's sleeve. I found Cupa's orange eyes looking into mine, on instinct I looked away at something else that will at least give her the illusion I'm looking back. That something turned out to be Cupa's golden-orange hair.

"Are you okay?" She says slowly and with concern. "It's just... to honest you seem dead. Distant and depressed." For some reason her concern triggered a feeling what seemed like a bullet to the back of my mind. I give the feeling a name '_Irritation_', and I guess it's what I'm feeling in general right now as I try to put this puzzle together.

"I'm fi-." I stopped when I find that my shemagh is pulled up to my nose. I slowly and awkwardly pull it down with two fingers. "Fine..." I finish, getting the fork on my tray and stab a piece of meat on the plastic plate in front of me. I pop it into my mouth all while my knee starts rapidly jumps up and down under the table. I get another down before my hunger disappears.

"Hey, Nikolai!" I hear Yuri's voice to the seat left of Kelly. I look to see her waving. "Can I have some if you don't mind?" She seems completely unaware of everyone else's concern.

"Yeah, sure. Here." I say as I pick up my plate and reach over to her across Kelly.

"Thank-!" Yuri says at first then grows puzzled when I put my plate on top of her empty one rather than putting half of the portions as she intended. "You?..." She mutters as she looks at her extra ration. Yuri took one last glance at me before continuing her conversation with Cora, Scarlet, and Grelle.

A Burning, searing sensation began behind my head, I soon realized it was Cupa's stare. I paid no acknowledgement however, I just slowly started eating the soup from the bowl that was left on my tray. Deep and detached thought, avoiding direct eye contact, and this god forsaken eating order a few months ago? The pieces of the puzzle were together but I didn't believe the outcome. I don't _want_ to believe the outcome, I'm...

"You want to explain that?" Cupa says in a volume only I can hear, her eyes burning my right temple.

"I'm not hungry." I simply answer back.

"Is there something wrong?" Cupa asks once more. All this concern... It's pissing me off.. No! What am I thinking? "Please, you can tell me if something is bothering you." I unconsciously lower my head, biting my lip to hold in of this feeling I've shut away all my life. "I know something's up so-"

"I'm fine, Rin!" I burst as I turn my head to Cupa, my face and words filled with anger, ...I'm back to my usual self, my _past _usual self. And that's why Cupa seemed nostalgic to me as well, she reminded me of her. I don't know what to make of Cupa's expression, I can't read it. I looked around to see everyone's eyes were on me.

"What was-..." Jay muttered. I interrupted him by rising from my seat, I looked at Cupa. She had her head lowered, her hood is covering her face.

"I'm sorry." I murmur, taking steps back. "Very... sorry" I weakly say before I turn around to take my leave.

"You're leaving already?" I heard one more soft voice I never heard behind me. I slowly turn around to see a tall teenager roughly an inch above my height. Her sudden appearance seemed to take everyone else's attention off of me. The girl wore a black beanie on top of her brown hair along with a black zipped coat and a mini-skirt, under was black stockings and sneakers.

"You are?" Jericho asks as she looks at the tall girl top to bottom. This made the girl cringe.

"A-Andr. E-Echo platoon's commander..." She says, blushing, looking to the floor. The whole platoon looked at her with disbelief.

* * *

**Very, very sorry for the short chapter after a long wait! Family stuff has been delaying this chapter for the longest time so finding free time to type this is harder than it seems. And after a massive writer's block here we are four months later... Hate me if you want but I'd prefer giving you an organized good story that will take a long time than giving you a rushed one with plot points all over the place.**


	14. Bonus Chapter 3: A Small Favor

**Finally got around to finishing this bonus. Fun fact though: This one was in development since the second bonus which in case you didn't know, was a VERY long time. That said, enjoy.**

* * *

**Bonus Chapter 3: A "Small" Favor**

**11/14/2015, 03:17:30 PM  
**

Have you ever wondered why time goes by so slowly when waiting for something you're anticipating for? Or better yet, why the hell teachers keep you in class for the last remaining six minutes when all the others let their students out? And you just turn your head to the left of you to see hundreds of them outside the window, talking or screwing around, just waiting to get their weekend started. I then sneak a look at the dark-red haired girl sitting in front of me. Her rapid knee motion echoed through the history classroom as she looked enviously out the window. As I slowly scanned the room I learned both of us weren't alone, they all seemed like they wanted to jump out the window for their soon to be freedom. Letting out a silenced sigh I unzipped my backpack to bring out an overdue library book.

As far as I knew from past experiences the universe apparently always wants to screw me over when it comes to reading in school. For example, when I finally find some free time in a class and open one not ten pages could go by without the bell ringing. And don't get me started on how long I had to wait for this book to get turned in from some guy who had lost it. Two damn months! Not only that but he hadn't even read the book before that which was the first book in the trilogy. And now for the cherry on top, he eventually picked up the first, reading twenty five pages worth before saying it was a _"Waste of time." _Once I heard that from Ashley never in my life did I want to hunt someone down.

_'Well, time to catch up.' _I thought, flipping through the pages until I have progressed through twenty seven pages. I glanced at my watch to check the small holographic display, 1521. Three more long painful minutes... I was broken out of my thoughts when a white slip of paper landed on my desk. I tilted my head slightly in confusion. I slowly gripped the edge of the neatly folded paper with my fingertips before opening it, revealing the neat handwriting in it. Inside, what I've read... I wish I threw it in the trash can before I got the chance to read it.

_"This may be too weird to ask you considering We've known for each other for a week but... Can I stay over at your house for the week off Please?  
_-_Rin_

To top it off she drew a small chibi distressed anime character to symbolize the gravity of her situation. I looked in front of me to see her head still forward, probably twiddling her fingers as well.

"You have your girl friends, why don't you ask them?" I whispered.

She tilted her head slightly back before speaking. "They said that they couldn't." She said in a soft voice. The school bell then let out it's signal, informing school is now over. And at that moment Rin stood up from her chair and enclosed both of her hands together. "Please!" She said loudly, bowing her head. Now most of our classmates turned their heads at us.

"F-Fine!" I stuttered in a hushed tone. "Just please stop that."

Her eyes were sparking in relief and a grin formed on her face. "Thank you! I'll be waiting for you outside. I have to do something real quick." I simply nodded in acknowledgement. She then joined the stream of students out the door and into the hallways. Packing my book back into my backpack, I soon stepped out into the hallway. As I walked through the crowded halls of teenagers I thought about what I just agreed to.

_'Does she do that __intentionally?' _I wondered, then sighed._ 'Well... Congrats you dumb fuck, you promised a girl whom you want to stay the hell away from you... a nine-night's stay.' _I slammed my palm on my forehead. "Fucking fantastic." I sarcastically muttered. Following the hallway towards the west exit I searched for my motorcycle. Sooner or later I found it stationed at a nearby bike post, it was a silver BMW S1000R with carbon fiber parts and a tinted windshield, and hanging on the right handlebar was a matte grey AFX FX-41DS helmet. How did I get a motorcycle like this exactly? One day I was walking home from school when down my road I saw it. It was pretty beat up at the time, engine was not working properly with a broken cylinder, two valves and a damaged intake, not to mention the rust covering the god forsaken bike. Last thing that stood out on the bike was a cardboard sign saying _"Free, if you can fix it." _Seeing that, I took it as an opportunity and a challenge. That day I took it towards an old garage that was run by a old friend of my dad. Ignacio.

Ignacio has taught me all the things I know, even made me into a classic muscle car gear head. When I first came to his warehouse I was at least twelve years old, and that was two months before the accident. The place was located in the suburbs, where crimes were committed often so our "reunion" was a bit on the wrong foot.

* * *

**12/1/2015, 07:34:21 PM**

_'Should be the right place' _I thought, standing on the sidewalk across the street from the warehouse.

_'Sure about that?' _An electronic voice asked.

_'Hm, where else would it be?'_ After that thought I pulled up the rear-peg of the bike with my foot before rolling the broken down motorcycle across the road. Once I approached the main garage door my arm hesitated before knocking. "Hey!" I shouted. "Anyone there?!" Suddenly, the sound of a raging dog banged on the other side of the gate. I stumbled back from the sudden outburst of the canine. Just then, the gate opened, revealing a man looking in his mid-thirty's and was wearing a white T-Shirt, covered with a black leather jacket, Below that was dusted brown jeans and dark brown boots. And behind them was his dog... and it was pretty terrifying, and swiftly ran towards me. "OH, SH-!" I fell backwards from the impact of the dog's pounce, the dog wasn't done with me there,

for it chomped on my jacket and yanking it viciously. I tried to push the animal off of me but it just seemed to anger it more. "Fuck!" I yelled, raising both of my hands to the owner. "Please! I give up! AH!" I screamed in pain at my last sentence, the dog scratched my arm badly with blood starting to seep out. The owner saw this and took action.

"Down girl!" He yelled. The dog, hearing this, held back a little but still continued her thrashing. A small moment came by until he gripped an iron pipe and slammed it against the wall of the warehouse. "Hey!" He said more angrily. "Okami! I said down!" The dog named Okami this time, let me free from its jaws. I then stupidly scampered away from it.

"Holy shit!" I breathed heavily. "What breed is she?! A wolf?" I asked while examining my vintage military jacket to find rips and tears.

"Yes." The man simply answered, patting the wolf's head as it retreated to his side. "Lobo mexicano. Or if you still don't understand... a Mexican wolf. Endangered species." He gazed at me. "Who are you?" He asked.

"Nikolai." I answered. The man frowned. "Who. Are. You?" He said more firmly in a suspicious tone.

"Err... Nikolai." I say. "Nikolai... Miles?"

"Liar..." He says, whistling once. Okami noticed this, and positioned in a running position. I flinched back. "Aiden... And Nikolai Miles... Are dead, since six years ago, in a car accident."

"W-Wait, I could prove it!" I stuttered. "Ask me anything about Nikolai, that should prove it."

"Yeah?" The man said. "'If you're Nikolai then what is your middle name? Huh?"

I... expected a different question but alright. "What?" I asked to confirm.

"His middle name, Aiden never told anybody but the kid and his wife. Hell, even the kid has never told anybody as far as I know... Five seconds." He said, crossing his arms.

"C-Connor." I stammered, calming down, I firmly spoke. "My name... is Nikolai Connor Miles. And you, are heavily mistaken about what happened." I said.

**07:48:01 PM**

After clearing up the story for him he believed me. And I learned him and my family have close ties, how close? Legal guardian close, if by any reason both of my parents die they would choose this man to take care of me, Ignacio was his name.

"Me and your father go way back." Ignacio says. "We have been best friends since second grade."

"Really?"

He nodded his head. "Yep, I think I still remember. We talked about what we wanted to do when we grow up, he said he wanted to be an inventor, a scientist, but he also wanted to be a doctor to save lives." He raised his head to meet my gaze. "Do you know which path he chose?"

I tried to remember at the time but sadly that memory is as good as gone. "No, you see. I have a minimum two year memory span, so I dont really remember anything but fragments of it."

"Hm, but if you were to take a assumption from anything you remember of him what would you think?"

Pondering for a long time I chose to take a guess. "A... scientist." I said. Ignacio smiled.

"Aw, so close. Truth is: he became both of those people, in fact he became famous because of it." As he said this it brought up a question.

"If he was so famous why does my mother and I live in that small un-air conditioned house?"

Ignacio tilted his head. "Mother?"

Furrowing my eyebrow I continued. "Yeah, you know... my mother who lives with me?"

"But you cant be living with your mother be cause she..." Ignacio stopped himself, an indescribable tone and expression filled his face and his words. "Because she is on a long-term business trip isn't she?"

"No?" I said with a questioning edge.

"Oh not yet huh? Well in any case her trip might be real soon then."

A sheepish expression washed over me. "You say that like it's a good thing." I inaudibly say to myself. "Anyway what did my dad create that made him famous?"

Ignacio laid his head back, using his two hands as makeshift pillows. "Oh that. It was a miracle device, your dad called it: Project LAZARUS. Although it was an accomplishment to behold it was short lived."

"How so?"

"The damn D.o.D, when word spread about it they took their window of opportunity and sealed it away from the media and _'Confiscated' _his research all in the matter of four weeks." He said this while shivering at the word as if it was venomous. "Fucking feds, you'd think they're supposed to be the good guys." His voice then raised in anger in each word. "But instead of using it as it's supposed to, they kept it locked away from the people and children who needed it the most, only to sell it to some damn half-ass PMC industry to re-label his work, make a crap downgraded version and use it for bloody war!" He gritted his teeth before standing up to unleash a barrage of strikes on the wall with a nearby wrench from a wall rack. "And while they take the praise, they dont even lift a finger for your father but a letter! The fuck?!" He says, slamming harder.

I just sat there, motionless, not knowing of how to calm him down. Normally if this would happen I would subtlety shy away and go on with my day. But this is different, he is not just some classmate or stranger, he is family, part of my dad's family. "Deep breaths..." I nonchalantly said. _'Damn Niko! Way to play the assertive role for once!' _I thought sarcastically. Ignacio continued his bashing, I moved my head up to look at him. "Igna-" I stopped myself when I realized playing the shy kid was getting me nowhere, I then closed my eyes and took a deep breath. _'Alright, let's jump to BLT Training Camp status.' _I clutched my hand into a fist before yelling. "QUIT... YOUR SHIT!" I yelled to the point of my voice echoing off the wide open space, even Okami flinched. Before he swung again he slowly turned his head back. Me, I was breathing heavily, now realizing what I've done.

"That... was almost exactly like your mother." Ignacio said, gasping for air.

"Past is the past." I say weakly. "Since ten years ago, I think you should know by now, shit happens. And there is no escaping it but to look forward to the future." I diverted my gaze. "Now..." I took out my backpack and unzipped it to get out a water bottle. "About the motorcycle."

* * *

Annnd that's pretty much how it happened. After unlocking the chain that secured the cycle through the front wheel, I then rolled it towards the drop off. Which was jam packed with students waiting for their rides. Ten freaking minutes have passed, and my patience was getting worse by the second. Sighing, I let my head down to rest while waiting, listening to the buzzes of chatter around.

"S-Sorry! I have to go!" I heard someone close by say. I lifted my head, turned back and opened my eyes to see a brunette with brown eyes and wore a brown jacket that stood near some guy.

"Come on! Just come over and give me a chance, I promise it won't happen again." The guy replied.

"I'm sorry, but I dont want to." She said trying to stealthily walk away. But her retreat was halted when the guy seized her by the arm. "Hold on!" He said as he tightened his grip. The girl let out a faint whimper of pain.

I scanned my surroundings. They're located on the same sidewalk that connected to the drop off, but they're more further down so while everyone's talking to their friends they cant really see what's going on. But someone like me however... After a long moment of thinking I sighed. _'It's a week... most likely they won't even remember me at all later.' _I thought. Kicking down the rear-peg, I pulled down my cap slightly and took out my shemagh to wrap it around my face before getting off the bike and walk towards them. Normally I'd probably stand out if this was hot weather, fortunately it's not. All I have to do is act natural and let my usual dont-give-a-damn aura do all the work and bang, I'm invisible to others around me. As I reached the two I leaned on a tree not too far away from them and blankly stared towards the football stadium across. I let a couple of attempts from the guy pass until he tightened his grip more on the girl's arm. _'Seems like he won't give up anytime soon huh?'_ I thought before finally speaking up, interrupting him.

"Just give it up already, it's clear she want's nothing to do with you." I said, emotionless. My body slightly tensed as I sensed them both looking straight at me.

"Who're you? Her boyfriend?" He hostilely said, letting go of the brunettes arm.

"Hardly." I say, keeping a nonchalant demeanor. "More like a concerned classmate." That part was true, I have both of them in separate periods, I just dont bother to memorize names nowadays.

"Oh, I know you." The guy says. "You're the class robot." He smugly says. Hm, an asshole that plays king of the hill, preying on people for ego and popularity... Not the first time this happened to me. Faint murmurs from the girl could be heard, she was trying to tell him to lay off. I took small steps while talking as I approached the two.

"Well I could take your light insults all day. I just came by to suggest that you hunt some other poor girl before laying this one and announcing it to the whole school as your trophy." I calmly said.

"He does that?" Whispers the brunette. I walked and leaned towards her ear.

"Behind all the girls back of course." I whispered back. "Such as locker rooms, restrooms, and occasionally lunch." As I said this she flinched in surprise. "Oh please, you're surprised of that? Just use your head, you'd be surprised what you could see. And if he bothers you more... I dont know, scream or whatever, that'll get him right off you. Got it?" The girl nodded her head.

"I'm right here asshole." The guy said.

"Still? Listen, your whole cover is blown, just walk aw-" I was interrupted by him gripping onto my shemagh and looking at me with furious eyes.

"Or what?" He said threateningly. I noticed that people were gathering around us. This is bad, this was simply supposed to be an in and out conversation and not... This. I heard a few murmurs from the people surrounding us. "_Is Darius really going to fight him?_" Says one. "_My money's on the T-1000!_" Says another, which kinda made me chuckle in the inside. I calmly took hold of his wrist, taking it aside. As my eyes scan the crowd it makes contact with two questioning golden irises.

"Have a wonderful weekend." I say politely as I turn and walk away, the crowd fills with murmurs of disapproval.

"Yeah, you too. Watch out for crossroads, dont want to make daddy's mistake again, huh?" Darius taunted as he spat towards me. I came to a dead stop.

"Imperdonable..." I said in Spanish with a held back raged tone, I about-faced and came back into the crowded circle. Darius cocked his eyebrow. "You can... say what you want about me, punch me... insult me. But if you think you can spit on the people six feet under and delude yourself of being untouchable without punishment you are dead wrong."

"Ha! Who's going to stop me, you? Look at me, I'm a walking beast unlike you!" He said this, extending his finger towards me. Confidence during a fight... Big mistake. I could talk for days on how his position benefits me, how his stance is and how his finger is too far out. As I came in my striking range I swiftly took hold of his finger before bending it upwards and twisting it, and at the same time bringing my right knee up and angling my foot before dropping it towards his ankle and letting gravity do the rest. He yelled in pain and confusion as I subdued him to the ground. Further action was unnecessary, I looked up to where Rin was at. She had eyes of dinner plates due to what just happened, I flicked my head to my left to signal that we were leaving now. As I was midway out of the fighting circle I once more stopped for a second. "Oh, that's right." I said to myself. I turned around to briefly remove my shemagh to spit back at Darius on his neck before pulling it up to my nose. "See? Knew I forgot something. One more thing too, don't make me deal with this bullshit again." As I said this the crowd went wild with praise and started chanting, "Robot."

As I rejoined with Rin she gave me a look. "Not another word, let's go. Now." I said, walking fast. Behind me I heard small taps and a soft voice.

"Is what he sai-"

I interrupted her without turning around. "Shut. Up." I said rather sharply. Rin flinched at this. As I got back on my motorcycle I dropped my head down and sighed. As I felt Rin get on behind me a silence went by before speaking up. "I'm-..." For some reason my mouth couldn't move. How you you even 'deliver' an apology anyway? Without it being awkward? "S-... So-" I stuttered, I then closed my eyes tightly. _'Great... Just look at how helpless you are. You can't even say an apology after that?' _

"Sorry." The Japanese girl's voice sounded behind me. I opened my eyes to look at the mirror. Rin was giving me a sympathetic look. I looked forward, towards the exit gate in front of us. After fishing the key from my pocket I inserted it to the ignition. "Yeah." I said, turning the key and hearing the engine start. I handed her my helmet. "Just hold on tight." I said, then flinched when I felt hands gently wrapping around my waist. "N-No!" I felt blood running across my face. "T-The back of the bike. There's a handle bar you can use." It took a while before her limbs let me go, now gripping the steel bar. I scratched the side of my hair before accelerating, hearing the engine roar in the background.

As we made the trip to my house halfway, into the city at a red light, she yelled over the and car engines. "Hey!"

"What?" I asked.

"Can we go to my house real quick?" She said before adding. "Need to get some things."

"And you're _just_ telling me this now?" I said, annoyed.

"Don't worry It's just around this area. about two miles." Rin says. Two miles?! I'm running on fumes here, how do you expect me to make that!? Closing my eyes, I focused my mind towards my sight. As a triangle grid moved down in the darkness I opened my eyes, revealing my HUD. I positioned my eyes on the motorcycle a square grid rippled across the vehicle rapidly before a list of information appeared. BMW S1000R, Weight: 897 lbs, Top Speed: 125+ mph, Fuel: 4.6 gal., 4% Remaining. Estimate: 3 Mi. "I hope your right." I say. "Otherwise, we're going to have to walk the rest." As the light switched green I accelerated and took a left.

**04:05:07 PM**

After a handful of minutes ticked by as I followed directions I couldn't help but to question our location. The terrain in which the road was on was a rather large hill, that just happened to be blanketed by either large houses and what seemed like mansions in the distance, over the horizon. My lips parted at the sight before words came out. "Okay... seems like were lost." I said. However, the girl behind me shook her head.

"No, we're not. Just a little further, three houses up this road."

I counted the three buildings to find a... huge mansion. As much as I wanted to keep it in, the words practically tumbled its way out. "You're rich." I blurted out, then quickly tried to save myself. "W-Wai- t-that's not what I meant. I mean..." My mind skimmed through multiple words that might be more respectful, but of course even with this advanced micro-computer in the back of my head I ended up saying the sentence rather awkwardly as I said one word at a time, slowly. "You're... doing well for yourselves?..." How did that turn into a question at the end? Hell if I know. I guess you can say this is how I am when I step out of my casual demeanor and try to explore the deep forests of formality... Then I come back gaining another trophy of awkwardness only to serve as a reminder of why I shouldn't even bother with others.

"Thank you!" Rin replied, sincerely, as if what I said hasn't brought any discomfort to her, whatsoever. Or did it _not_? As we rode near her house I decelerated and took the chance to subtlety take a glance back towards her face to find a delighted grin on her face, as anyone could tell, she's excited for something. Which in truth, scares the living shit out of me. I followed her eyes towards a black SUV in the large U-shaped driveway that was protected by two separate fancy looking gates. As we approached the gate a man who wore a black business suit came into view, raising up his hand to signal for me to halt.

"State your business here." The gatekeeper ordered with an authoritative tone.

"Oh, well... I came to drop off this girl." I said. The guard narrowed his eyes a little in disbelief. I then noticed from his crossed arms, one of his fingers seemed to linger towards a small bulge in his suit. Rin swiftly took off the helmet I gave her.

"H-Hi Ike-Sama!" Rin brushed down her hair with one hand while waving with the other. The man known as Ike then dropped his arms to his sides at once at the sight of Rin.

"M-Master?! My apologies!" He quickly bowed before her. As I looked at the scene, Ike shifted his attention towards me. "Madam, if I may ask who is this... commoner?" He says, as if people like me are completely foreign to this area. If I haven't been picked on all my school years, my tolerance probably would of gone off as soon as he emphasized that last word.

"Oh, this is Miles-San." Rin says as she pats the top of my cap lightly, I respond to this my slightly shaking my head to get her hand off. "Nikolai Miles, a friend I met in school."

"And why has he come to drop you off? Why didn't you call your chauffeur?" Ike once more questions. Once he said this I lowered my head to cover my face, as I did this I gritted my teeth and fired a glare behind me.

"You had... a god damned chauffeur?" I growled softly towards the short red haired girl sitting behind me. She answered my mildly hostile question with a sheepish smile, then looked up to Ike and forged an innocent face.

"Sorry, I forgot her phone number." She says. Ike let his hand run down his face.

"Lee, this is no light matter. Your mother specifically hired us to make sure you are safe at all times. In and out of home, no exceptions."

"Yes! And I _will_." Rin said as she enclosed both of her hands. "I'm sorry for my arrogant actions, I promise such a thing shall not happen again." She finishes it by bowing her head with a hint of mockery, showing discussions like this has happened many other times. "So... Please don't tell Mom about this?" She pleaded to him.

Ike seemed to be having a long battle of morals before grunting in frustration. "Fine, I won't." As he says this Rin's lips curved upwards. "_But_... Don't expect your chauffeur to do the same..." He says underneath his breath. He motioned his right hand to his ear, pressing on a ear piece. "She's here."

A buzz followed his sentence, a few seconds passed before the gate began to open. As it did, Ike walked to the left, stepping off the road before motioning his arms invitingly into the private property. It took a few seconds for me to get the idea he was hinting for me to drive in instead of letting Rin off here and now. I then lightly twisted the right handle to roll in the high class driveway and park in a suitable place behind the SUV. As Rin adjusted her messenger bag and practically jumped off the bike she spun around and leaned towards me while I was taking view of the mansion. "Would you like to come inside?" She says, passing my helmet back to me.

"Um... I'll just wait here so-" I was cut off by my stomach growling and by the looks of it, Rin seemed to lower her gaze towards where the sound was coming from.

"Hm? seems you need something to eat!" Exclaimed Rin as her eyes sparked at the chance of opportunity. I quickly shook my head.

"D-Don't worry." I stuttered, getting my bag to unzip it and pull out one of the contents within. "It's not a problem." I say as I close my eyes and bring out a small potato chip bag. Rin's eyes narrowed with disbelief.

"It doesn't seem to provide much, don'cha think?" She says as her arms cross around each other.

"Oh..." I nonchalantly said as I reach for another. "That's why I bring a spare." I then introduced another out of my bag.

"Wha-!" Rin seemed dazed by this before recovering herself with a small joke. "Heh, I guess this is just usual everyday lunch, huh?"

And so, to think of just going along with it seemed to confuse my dense head, and in response to it's panic, it came out with this. "Everyday routine." I say underneath my breath while stretching. "Bowl of soup in the morning, chips mid-day, and of course something like ice cream or popcorn at night." As I finished my sentence, Rin was stupefied.

"Are you serious?" She asks after a long silence. As much as every fiber in my being wanted me to play that innocent-playful-person everyone trusts... the other side of me knows that it'll end up in a serious backfire. So I play... plain 'Nikolai.' I drain my face of all identifiable expressions let my eyes wander towards a small digital watch on my wrist.

"Oh, hey... It's about four-forty-five." I say. _'Screw it, if this tactic can work on a councilor and senior volunteers at a cope of loss program, how hard could it be for a simple classmate?' _Basically, what I'm doing is subtlety changing topics, bit by bit, if you choose wisely you could just about throw anyone off track of what they want and manipulate their interest somewhere else. Since lying is not my strongest suit, this works perfectly.

"You did not answer my question..." She continued to press on her topic, stepping in closer to flick my forehead.

_'Or... Not.'_

"I'm being serious right now Ni-Chan... Eating that stuff is very bad for your health. Along _with _eating little to nothing, you'll just develop a disorder."

I rubbed my forehead with my finger before replying. "Okay, can you _please_ stop calling me that? Also, you have no business telling me what I should or not eat, it does not affect you in anyway." I say. _'You're a bit too late as well...'_

As Rin opened her mouth to debate further the sound of double doors opening caught her attention, I looked over her shoulder to see two adults, a man and woman who seemed in their late thirties. The man seemed to be talking to someone on his phone whereas the woman was examining a paper, not only than this but a few personal advisers seemed to be accompanying them as they approached the black vehicle in front of them.

"She's not?" The man said over the phone. "A-Are you sure she's not in the district?... I don't care if they checked or not, make sure they double if not triple!" The man then hanged up before sighing. "Where can she be?" He muttered. Rin then let out a whistle in his direction to get his attention. When the man looked around his surroundings he soon found the source. His eyes then settled down before he held out to silence an adviser who was informing him about business. "One second." He murmured to him. As he stood before Rin he crossed his arms in a parental manner. "Do you realize how worried we were?" He says with a bit of fury in his eyes.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Rin bowed her head. "My phone ran out of battery, I had no choice but to get help from someone else." She says as her arm gestures towards me. At first what I'm guessing is her father just looked at me for a while before his eyes slightly widened.

"Oh, thank you for helping my daughter. I'm guessing you two are friends?"

"Yes."

"No."

Rin and I responded in unison, as her father cocked his eyebrow I continued my answer. "More like acquaintances." I finish. "Oh! Sorry, my name is Nikolai Miles." I said as I got up from the bike and extended my hand.

"Yes, I'm aware." The father replied, shaking my hand. "You look just like your father, Aiden." I flinched back at this.

"Who are you?" I say a bit bluntly, ignoring Rin's stare of disapproval. The man took a deep breath before speaking once more.

"Katashi Lee." Says the man. "I worked alongside your father during his projects, well, until the event in which he sold his research. I'm very sorry about the incident that has happened, his ideas and mind seemed as if it was ahead of it's own time." As he said this he bowed respectively. He then looked up to see me staring in disbelief. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"With all respect, I don't really trust anyone." I answer, trying my best not to burst out the many questions I have. "From what I've heard from a... relative, the whole team was disbanded and had gone their separate ways."

"Yes, and few received job opportunities by the company that bought your father's work." Replied Katashi.

"And you took it." I said. The man smirked a little before speaking.

"Hm, and how could you come to such a conclusion? With little evidence?"

"Because there is. We're standing on it, and it's pretty huge." It's true that this mansion plays part of it, but I haven't forgotten the real scenario behind this. If he was part of the project he would sure as hell know half of what he said is complete and utter bullshit. What really happened was that the government took the research for war, and if a corporation got a hold of it, it could mean two things, either the company bought it fully, or the government needs help in reverse engineering and is funding... Either way, a ton of money must be involved to hire the best of the best. And where better to start with the original team?

"Heh, you're a sharp one aren't you kid? No wonder Rin here is interested in you." Katashi says as he scratches Rin's hair.

Before Katashi could talk again, Rin spoke up. "Um, Dad?" She asked. Katashi responded by shifting his attention towards her. "A-About that business trip you and Mother are going on..."

"Oh! Yes, are you ready to leave with us?" Katashi asks as his eyes widen with memory. Me on the other hand, it took a while to process what I've just heard. And it took a hell of a lot effort to not get back on my bike to drive off with the little fuel it had. As Rin stood there looking for some reasonable words, a woman with long auburn hair stepped into view, next to Katashi.

* * *

_**Rin PoV**_

_'Crap...' _I thought as my Mom entered the conversation.

"Hon, we need to go soon." She says into Dad's ear. And just when she was about to switch back into business mode she caught a glance of Ni-Kun. "Oh? Who's this stranger?"

"His name is Nikolai." Dad answers, he follows this up with a whisper in Mother's ear. Most likely telling her his full background. "-And he has taken the effort of bringing Rin here home."

"Really?" Mom says, interested. As she walks up to... Nikolai. Eh, that'll take some getting used to. She asks him a series of questions such as: Was it a bother bringing Rin back here? Are you sure? What's your relationship with my daughter? Friends? Or something greater? Ok, THAT one got my face to heat up. However, Nikolai surprisingly kept his composure. But his stuttering words exposes how off guard he truly is.

"N-No!" He coughs out, continuing the rest of his sentence nervously and nearly inaudibly. "I don't know about her, but were just acquaintances."

" 'Acquaintances' don't take the time and trouble to give a lift from the school to here." Mother remarked.

"Well, apparently... This one does." Nikolai says while scratching his head. As mother chuckled a little my dad tapped my shoulder to get my attention.

"All this aside, what did you want to ask me?"

I then breathed before gathering up my remaining nerve to ask him. "Y-Yeah, about that business trip you and Mom are going on... Well you also said I didn't need to go if I did not want to right?"

"Yes, but you'd need someone to look after you whom is trustworthy to both your Mother and I." Dad answered. "What about it?"

I turned around to make sure Mother was still busy with Nikolai before facing back. "I found someone who can look after me." I said, weakly.

"Hm, that would be? I've never got to meet any of your friend's parents." Dad says as he tilts his head.

"You... just met him." Before I knew it the words came out, leaving me wide open for questioning.

"Wait... he's-" Dad started, quickly I stammered more details.

"W-Well! He's the guy I've told you and Mother about! And considering I'm supposed to help him, it's a good chance you see..." My eyes started to drift away with every word that was coming out my lips.

"Okay." Father replies, calmly.

"H-Huh?"

"Well yeah I mean... Now that I think about it you seemed eager and interested when speaking about him at the table. I trust you'll be able to take care of yourself but for your Mother... I'll try to think of something." Before I can say anything one of the business advisers practically started dragging him away, mumbling something tech related that I don't understand. The same goes for mother, an adviser drags her along, saving Nikolai from any other questions. As the SUV rolled out with both of my parents waving goodbye I found myself alone with Niko-kun by my side.

"She was... interesting..." Nikolai muttered to the left of me, scratching his cheek with his index finger. As I looked closer at him I saw his emotionless eyes narrow slightly. "So... were you ready to leave with them, Rin?" He says, eyes still locked onto the ground. He says it casually, but I know there's a trace of annoyance in his words somewhere.

"I-..." My mouth stopped at that moment, as much as I tried to calmly reply this was the result. "N-.. No..." At this Niko-kun let out a suppressed sigh before walking up to his motorcycle, putting one hand on a handlebar and the other to flick his finger two times at what I'm guessing is the fuel gauge, then he looked out to the straight road that was outside my family's mansion. Niko-kun then closed his eyes for a while before opening them to reveal his now glowing amber irises.

"Six miles out, limited fuel... two miles, estimate time... thirty five minutes on account of dense traffic... Dammit." He mutters softly, he got on the motorcycle and turned it on, his eyelids then drift towards me. "Well what are you waiting for?" He asks. I hesitate before speaking. "Wh- Huh?" Is all that comes out. A long moment of silence goes by before Niko-kun takes the helmet off the handle bar, he stares into the visor until sighing and motioning the helmet towards me.

"If you're up for it. Don't expect a full ride over, not enough gas... I can't guarantee your stay will be as comfortable, obviously." I was bewildered from what he just said. I lied to him, and he is pretty much being forced in a friendship with a polar opposite, yet he is still willing to help me? Why?

"Why.. are you willing to help me?" I unconsciously mutter.

"Probably because I'm an idiot..." He avoids my eyes and furrows his eyebrows as if he's debating before looking at my general direction. As he opens his mouth to speak nothing comes out until five seconds later. "...Because who _else _will?" The words weakly tumble out. At that moment I heard the familiar sound of heels behind me, stepping at a fast rate... please don't tell me who I think it is. I see that Nikolai is looking at whoever is behind me with a blank expression.

"Miss Lee?" There was venom in her words... a LOT of it. Enough to send an ice cold shiver down my spine.

"M-Ms. Lackey!" I greet as I turn around, smiling stupidly. "How are you doing toda- AH!" I yelp in pain as she seizes me by the cheek.

"Today, I was waiting at the side drop off entrance to your school." She hisses, raising her pinch.

"Is that right?" I reply, or want to reply. My words were probably incomprehensible to others but myself.

"Yes, in fact I've waited there for an hour and a half until a teacher informed me that you were not on campus."

"Sorry! Please stop, my phone died!" And at that moment bad fortune strikes once again as a ringtone sings from my pocket. Lackey just looks at me with a dead stare, her eyes exposing her rage. A long period of time goes by until I awkwardly raise my arm to fish for my phone, when I get it out a random phone number fills the screen, on top of the options whether to accept it or not. As I look up, I see Ms. Lackey's fake smile, when I look to Niko-kun for help I see his face covered by his cap and scarf, I'm guessing he's not going to help anytime soon.

"You know what the proper punishment for this is, do you?" Ms. Lackey says. In fact I do, and it's going to take everything I have in persuasion to let it pass!

"...Please go easy on me." I helplessly plead, closing my eyes tightly.

"It just so happens that I'm out of mercy..." I hear her say, momentarily I feel her other hand pinching my left cheek. She lets me have a moment of peace before stretching my cheeks apart with all her strength.

**15 Minutes later...**

I looked up from the backseat of this black Mercedes Benz to see Lackey on the driver's seat and Nikolai to the right of me, staring out the tinted window. My eyes dart from the two of them continuously since not one word has been spoken after my "punishment" so to say. I feel like I'm being shunned by both of them as they seemed to be avoiding eye contact. So it seems the reason behind Lackey's sudden appearance is because my father figured that instead of riding a motorcycle he thought a car would be more comfortable, and not to mention roomy for my clothes and other stuff.

"I'm sorry." I mutter, hoping for at least a response.

"Karma is a bitch ain't it?" Niko-kun mutters softly, still looking out the window. I breathed deeply then exhaled, well... Nothing I can do now. I might as well call that unknown phone, make sure it isn't some business calling the wrong people. Getting out my phone I scrolled through the recent phone calls, I tapped the red highlighted number before bringing the phone to my ear. I hear my phone ring as its waiting for a response... but at the same time I hear a faint vibration sound in this silent atmosphere. I trace it to my right side, I turn my head to find Niko-kun's hand in his pocket. He brings it out along with a cellphone in his hand, he taps the screen once before putting it down. And at the same time my phone stops ringing, signalling the person ignored the call.

"You're the person that called." I say. A moment goes by before he replies.

"As I said." He says, putting his hand in his pocket to get out a strip of paper. "Your Mom is an interesting person." He then drops the paper. When I examine the paper I see my phone number written in ink... dammit Mom. As I close my eyes for a second before opening them back up, remembering a question I've been curious about since I've met him.

"Niko-ku-" At that moment I purposefully coughed in an attempt to correct myself. "N-... Nikolai?" I stutter, trying his name without an honorific out. _'Damn it, you're trying to help him! So you might as well get in his comfortable side!'_

Nikolai raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement, he seems surprised in his own silent way I guess that I dropped the honorific.

"Your name." I say.

"What?"

"If I may ask, why exactly is it 'Nikolai'? I mean, your heritage has completely different names so why that?"

He moves his head away from the window and just stares at the floor. "My mother is Hispanic and a bit of German, and my dad had a Russian background." He answers simply, as if that would answer all my questions. _'You can at least tell me more...' _I thought. Trying to find out more about him without prying too much, I eventually resorted to asking one small question.

"So how did they decide who would name you?" I ask. He then brings out his hand in front of him and balls it into a fist.

"They played rock, paper, scissors..." He nonchalantly answers.

_'Wha-!'_ I find myself trying my best not to rip out my hair. _'Why?! For god's sake, it's naming a child! Surely a simple game like that couldn't decide the fate of one's name, could it?'_

"Answer this..." Nikolai said as he looks at my direction.

"Huh?"

"Why... are you trying to befriend me?" He asks. I blinked in response, I've already told him haven't I? Just when we exited out of the councilor's office.

"Because you seemed lonely." I answer.

He sighs in a frustrated fashion before rubbing his eyes. "That's not what I meant, Rin."

I tilt my head. "What?"

"Yeah, I look gloomy as fuck, I get it. But, is that it? If that's the case I'm not going to lie. I don't trust you..."

What he said threw me off, maybe even upset me. "Why?"

"Find a person with a problem. Be the solution. It's not like all people have pure intentions nowadays... They've been doing it all the time under everyone's noses at school."

"Wait... _our _school?" I turn my body towards him in interest.

"Hm." Nikolai laughs silently, looking once more out the window. "Yeah, having nothing to do but roam the hallways you tend to ah... See and hear things that assholes would do anything to keep you silent."

"How long have you been doing this?"

"Enough to know being 'popular' gives you enough influence to get away with anything as long as you're playing the victim. And I've seen people with good intentions gone bad when they found out how to use that popularity to step on people's necks for personal gain. King or Queen of the Hill... You can call it." He then looks up towards Lackey who was busy with the GPS. "That house, white one." He points towards a house on the left. It's... small compared to mine, no traces of maids or services obviously. The lawn seems to be freshly cut, but not to perfection.

"Looks... Common." Lackey exclaims as she takes a U-turn.

"Lower-mid class, not the best... but it's better than the alleys that's for sure." I notice that his gaze is directed towards a driveway into a small garage.

"Your vehicle is stored there as promised. We took the charity of refilling the tank too." Lackey informs.

"Thank you, I appreciate it." Nikolai says, moving back to his seat, waiting for the car to stop.

"Thank Mr. and Ms. Lee. They're the ones that insisted." Lackey replies, pulling over. Nikolai opens the door and steps outside. As I un-clip my seat belt to get out from his side he shuts the door, paying no attention to me. He then walks to the trunk of the car before opening it, revealing my luggage. I open my door and step out to join him. Nikolai takes hold of two packing cases and motions his head towards the last two, signaling me to take care of the rest before walking off towards the front door of his house.

"What a gentleman." I sarcastically say, since usually the guy is supposed to take care of the woman's luggage. I mean, my other normal guy friends would do that as if by natural instinct. But then I remembered. _'But then again, he's not a normal person is he?'_ I think.

"That's hilarious you'd even think of me as one." He verbally jabs back at me in the distance. "You know it's not like you have two arms or anything, not that hard to hold a handle." Nikolai says as he opens the door and disappears in the house. I sigh before wrapping my fingers around the two handles and dragging the two cases out of the trunk. They're heavy... I give myself five seconds to complain before forcing myself to deal with it and remind myself that he _is _offering me a roof to sleep under for a week. I close the trunk, then made my way towards the white painted house, as soon as I'm near the door I wave a goodbye at Lackey, signalling that she could go now and help my other two sisters.

As I close the door behind me I see that the house is a bit roomier than I thought it would be. I look to the right of me to see an everyday piece of furniture missing. '_Where's... the shoe cabinet?' _Another thing I noticed were three pathways, in front of me was a staircase upstairs, to the left seemed to be the kitchen and dining area, and the right was a room with two couches and an average size TV which I'm guessing is the living room. I don't see Nikolai anywhere, but I do hear footsteps, both large and small which seemed to be coming right above me. "Nikolai?" I call out. No response. I say his name another time before putting my bags and shoes aside on the nearby couch. I wander my way towards the stairs, I look up before hesitantly placing my first foot on the first step. "This should be fine, right?" I murmur to myself, taking more steps up. When I reach the second floor I look towards an open door on the left, there I see Nikolai kneeling and looking down. As I walk towards him to ask what's he doing he holds his arm up to silence me.

"Don't say anything... don't even move." He warns before moving his arm in front of him. At first I have no idea what he's talking about but then I hear a soft growl and with it a large dog comes into sight. It had a yellowish-grey pelt which was heavily clouded with black over the back and tail. It seemed to be sniffing Nikolai, circling around him and analyzing him. "Come on, Okami..." Nikolai whispers. "I'm the same kid you fucked up back in the day." As the dog calms down Nikolai slowly raises his hand to pet it gently. "See? Nothing to worry about." He says, rubbing the dog's head more casually as it seems to recognize him, the dog then takes Nikolai by surprise and knocks him over and starts licking him tenderly. Nikolai let's out a few curse words before pushing Okami off of him. "Now that's just uncalled for..." The dog just spins around in excitement, seemingly delighted by Nikolai's presence. I couldn't help but find it cute, I unconsciously let out a giggle. Both the dog and Nikolai spun their heads towards me, in an instant the dog's warm demeanor turned cold and jumped in front of Nikolai in a defensive stance, growling fiercely at me. I completely froze at that moment, unresponsive at the sudden change. Nikolai quickly jumped in shielded me before making few gestures followed by long whistles. "Down girl!" He hastily says. "This is Rin, a... guest."

"U-Uh, Nikolai?!" I stutter.

"Don't!... run." Nikolai instructs. "Keep calm." He then takes hold of my forearm and motions it towards the dog.

"What kind of dog is that?" I ask.

"Lobo... a wolf." He simply answers.

_'A wolf?! How the hell?'_ Before I can speak again, the wolf approaches my extended arm, growling deep as it draws closer. I step back, preparing to run if I have to, but Nikolai keeps his grip.

"Don't run, you want to make a good first impression. Stay still and maintain eye contact, straiten your back more if you can." Nikolai whispers. Okami takes a few steps forward before coming to a dead stop from at least four steps from Nikolai. The wolf looks and tilts it's head questionably, I look to Nikolai to see that he slowly steps aside, leaving me vulnerable. Okami put's its right paw forward for a second before suddenly dashing toward me. To my surprise my legs were frozen in place... Actually, it may be fear that's keeping me from running down stairs. The wolf is right below me, glaring at me with its eyes. Following Nikolai's instructions, I do the same. Okami then circles around my body, catching my scent with its nose, it inspects me more before standing in front of me again, seemingly making its verdict. As minutes go by the wolf simply turns around and jumps on a nearby bed next to Nikolai before sitting down.

"What... just happened?" I ask, weakly.

"A test of respect." Nikolai simply answers, rubbing Okami's back. "All dogs and wolves do it."

"So... what? Did I pass?"

"Depends on your definition. You didn't necessarily 'pass' but... you at least got her tolerance." He looks back at Okami. "Don't have any food for her at the moment though... Eh, meat should suffice in the meantime, right?" Okami barks in acknowledgement. "And I'm guessing Ignacio is busy at the garage huh?" After a moment of rubbing her back, Nikolai stood up. I was too busy looking around the room, grey walls, blue carpet, a wooden desk, and bed with a few anime and game posters on the wall.

_'So this is what a guy's room looks like?'_ I think. I expected it to be more... messy but from what I see, everything is neatly in place if you don't count the fact four books are lying around on his bed. As I look to Nikolai to speak, something takes me by surprise. His head... His. Bare. Head. As in, without the cap he has always been wearing. I see that he has black hair with a crew-cut, I can also see a portion of metal right at the center in the back of his head. It was shaped like a circle, with three chevrons on the bottom of it each are measured longest to shortest top to bottom. I notice there's also a half, circle glowing in the center, showing the unit is up and running. How long has he had this on him? What of his thoughts and imagination, his emotions and empathy? Is it the machine that's doing it, or... himself? Just giving it thought make's me feel sorry for him. So this is what people meant, a walking robot among them. As he places his cap on a hook on a mirror, he scratches his head before covering the metal device with the palm of his right hand. Crap... I've been staring too long haven't I?

"Pure titanium." He says, as if reading my mind. "And you're probably wondering if I'm... Well.. _human_."

"Ah! N-No I-" I stutter, holding my hands up and waving them.

"Don't even bother." He sighs, turning around. "Let's make one thing very clear. I _don't_ need your sympathy, Rin." His words are cold yet there's something else in them, like the time at that stairwell when he told me to go away. Suffering, I would call it. "It's almost time for dinner..." He walks right past me before I could protest, whistling for Okami to follow. After a moment. I too, start following the line. As we walk down the stairs I feel something hit me, I remember how unusual his hunger is. He's most likely going to eat something small and unhealthy, how to avoid that? I don't know... I could try cooking for him.

"Hey, Nikolai?" I ask.

"Huh?" He murmurs as he takes the last step of the stairs before turning right, where the kitchen is. "Oh. Yeah, hold that thought. Is there something in particular you want? Or..." He stops at the stove before I can say what's on my mind.

"Oh, no. I've just been thinking... Since you've been helpful so far, can I cook?" I ask. Nikolai responds to this by just standing there, for minutes, staring blankly at a shelf. I slowly walk closer to him, my arms crossed behind my back. _'Is... he frozen?'_ I ask in my mind.

"No thanks, I'll... just cook for us, don't worry about it." He responds, getting a small bag from the shelves. As I lean in to look at it I see it's contents, spaghetti. "Don't mind this?" He asks, waving the bag towards me.

"No, not at all." I respond, observing him as he takes headphones out before putting one in his ear and connecting his music. Then he starts to take more ingredients out from the cabinets above. A can of diced tomatoes, olive oil, and a bag of rice. He then puts the ingredients on the counter shuts the top cabinets and goes to work on the bottom ones. Pulling out a pot, a pack of matches, bell pepper and onions. Just when I think he's done he moves aside to his right and opens the refrigerator on his left pulls out a sealed plate of diced chicken. _'I don't think all these things are necessary, are they?' _I think to myself.

"You can go wait in the sala." Nikolai says, going to the faucet to wash his hands.

"The... what?" He waves his hand towards the right.

"Living room, hard to miss."

"No need." I reply, washing my hands at the sink before setting myself next to him. I pick up the green bell pepper and a knife.

"What are you doing?" Nikolai asks.

I turn towards him, spinning the pepper. "Helping."

* * *

The whole forty minutes was... peaceful. Nikolai was very helpful through the procedure, since I've never tried cooking in my life, I made a lot of errors here and there. But for the most part, Nikolai practically did all the cooking. And here we are, at the dinner table with two bowls of chicken and rice spaghetti. "Why is there rice in the bowl?"

"Extra flavor." Nikolai responds, passing a spoon towards me. "Or... something like that. I don't know why, I just sort of picked it up."

With those words I look back nervously at my bowl. "That's reassuring." I mutter to myself. Well, to look on the bright side, he seems to have a reasonable portion of food in his bowl.

"Just saying, if you want seconds, here you go." he pushes his supposed bowl towards me. I look at it blankly. So, he made all this... for me? But what about him?! I look to see Nikolai open the fridge door to pick up a hot pocket... A friggin' hot pocket... I turn my head to the right of me to see Okami, and by the looks of it she doesn't seem so amused either by the way she's whimpering.

"Nikolai, you've gotta eat more." I say, holding the extra bowl towards him.

"I'm not that hungry." He responds, opening the packet.

"It's good..." I say even though I've not taken a single bite.

"I'm aware, I nearly make it on a daily basis for my Mom..."

A small moment of silence goes by. "...Eat." I command. He responds by lazily waving the hot pocket before putting it in the microwave. My eyebrows furrow in anger. _'Fine, have it your way.'_ I then slowly and silently stand up from the chair, Okami's ears peek up at my movements. As I take hold of the extra bowl the wolf seems to be aware of what I'm doing, she doesn't bark or anything. If fact, I think Okami is actually encouraging me to do so. That said I slowly make my way towards him, since he has both earbuds in, that makes this much more easier. When I'm close behind him I ready the bowl that will be stuffed in his face in a second.

"Wha-" Was all he could make out as he suddenly turned back to me, seeing the bowl in my hand. Before he can react I swiftly pushed him on the counter, his head barely missing the microwave. I proceeded to force his mouth open, shoving everything I could down before he could realize what's going on and start resisting. After a few seconds of struggling he shoved me off of him. "What the fuck are you doing?!" He shouted as he gasped for air and taking his earbuds out, glaring at me.

What am I doing, that's... A VERY obvious question, you cooked this meal and here you are not eating it. Instead you're eating a damn pizza pocket! Irritated, I step back and take my bowl and spoon. "Idiot!" I shout, then unconsciously take a spoonful of the spaghetti. Crap, this is... good, too good, after a few moments of savoring the flavor, I noticed I was still standing in place. For an awkward moment I then stepped out of the kitchen.

* * *

_**Nikolai PoV**_

I witnessed as she exits the kitchen, seemingly wondering around the house, and to a hallway that only had one door which led to the restroom. I walk towards the kitchen door to call out to her. "Hey! That hallway is-" I stop myself, realizing she's out of hearing range. "A dead end..." I mutter. I look back to the kitchen to see that my hot pocket is done. But after that event I've lost my... appetite. I pursed my lips before noticing Okami sitting tentatively in the corner, I looked at her and at the spot where Rin force fed me. You know, from this angle, I have a clear vision where the scene took place. "Sometimes I really hate you... You know that?" I murmur at Okami, roughly scratching her ears. I then check my watch to see it's getting late, I look out the window to confirm it. Sighing, I make my way towards the refrigerator to get something to drink, before I get the chance to open it I saw a small note I've not noticed before. Taking it in my hand, I observe it to see it has today's date and my mother's signature, I then mutter the message softly. "As I know how inconvenient this may be, a business opportunity has presented itself at work today. So, I won't be back until two weeks from now. Please bear with me, before I left I put money the drawer of your desk. Use it responsibly." Even though there was more, I just crumbled up the letter. '_You could of just told me in person at least, or maybe phoned it...'_ I thought to myself. Throwing it away, I opened the fridge to get a water bottle before picking up a plate to settle the hot pocket on.

After that, I showed Rin the small guest room we had before the incident happened, it's still weird how I found myself avoiding it since it's just a room with two beds, a small TV and a dresser. Something about it just bothered me, without further ado, I climbed upstairs to my room and settled down on my bed. I'd say my room is as average for a guy who reads and plays video games, a bookshelf wall to my right, TV right in front of me that's connected to a game console, a desk that's located in front of the window that has my drawing notebooks on it, and to the left is an old Laguna guitar with a dark sunburst finish that is connected to a JVM210H Marshall amplifier... My father was a hobbyist back in the day... and I'd hate to see all his stuff gone to waste. Besides, I've always liked Marshall, it really helps in my part time job I scored at a local music shop. The pay is fairly alright, and my job is just to see if all the equipment in inventory works properly after shipping. Best part is that most of the time I don't need to wear a uniform! My work is in the background, just the way I like it, only time I step out is when a new batch of guitars need inspection, or when someone needs re-stringing and I give their guitar back to them.

I laid my head back when I finished my hot pocket and water, watching the spinning ceiling fan in front of my eyes. I think I've already thought about this before... who the fuck is Rin exactly? And why now. Why now, someone actually takes interest in me? What her actions have been so far are supposed to be suspicious, like how she's in the guest room at this very moment. Yet, I don't feel a skeptical vibe around her, instead I feel nothing. _'Maybe... she actually is doing all this from goodwill?'_ I shake my head furiously from that thought. No, that's not it, it's _never _it. If things were as simple as that, then maybe there wouldn't be that much drama and liars at school and in the world. But in Rin's case, I just can't find the slightest fault... No matter how many times I scan her movements and actions with my A.I. she always comes out clean, and it frustrates me.

I bite the nail of my right thumb, any more thought into this topic will most likely trigger a massive headache, I need a distraction... I look to the right where my bookshelf is. I reach over to a book that I'm a third through. _'One will do right?' _I think to myself as I look at the hardcover. After opening it to the page I'm on, I let my imagination immerse itself in the story.

Before I sunk in the pages my last thought was.

_'I've really screwed up... haven't I?'_


	15. Chapter 12: Turbulence

**And... another long wait. Man, I REALLY need to find a good balance between school work and playing video games, seriously... Anyway! Nice to be back somewhere on top on your guy's alert lists. Fallout and Witcher 3 has been very effective from keeping me away from the keyboard lately along with typical school work. Sorry if the point of view changes in this chapter are too excessive, I wanted to practice my transitions. So without further ado... Enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Turbulence**

**10/05/2017, 09:57:15 PM  
Outskirts of San Antonio, Neutral territory**

_**Nikolai PoV**_

I breathed in deeply multiple times while driving aimlessly down roads, seeing my HUD glitch out of control. "_That's your problem, isn't it?_" A feminine voice echoed through my mind. I shook my head multiple times.

"Shut... up." I mutter, trying to gain control of my unit. I bring one hand up from the wheel and run it across my forehead.

I grunted in pain as my forehead burned like hell. "_You're scared..._" The voice said a bit more clearer. "_You avoid people from fear of hurting them, push them away as soon as they get to know your name_."

"Gah! Fuck!" I yelped in pain as my head bursted open. I slammed the brakes of the car, as soon as it came to a dead stop I un-clipped my seat belt and clutched my forehead in a useless effort to ease the headache.

"_Is that why you pushed me away? Because I made you feel human!?_" God damn, it seems like every sentence is a buckshot to my head! After a moment of agonizing pain I grabbed a flare gun from the dashboard and opened the door out of my car to step out... Well, more like crawl out onto the moon illuminated road.

"Damn it!" I slammed my fist down on the road, breathing heavily. It was at that moment I could hear my heartbeat loud and clear, picking up pace each second. I looked at my right forearm to see my Prisma acting up as well, much like my HUD the display or it's appearance was to distorting, turning cyan blue, red and it's original clear color back and fourth as if it can't decide what it's doing. Turning my attention away, I look at the flare gun below me, my right hand hesitantly shakes over to it. Pulling the hammer back with my thumb I look into the dotted sky to think for a second. Well, I'm absent without leave, sure I have the freedom of going out the territory when I please but it's John and Jen who will be pulling out their hair with worry when they find out I left by myself at night of all times. If I fire this it would mean the equivalent of an hour speech and a explanation of just what happened with that sudden outburst as well... Screw it. I motion my arm up, pointing the gun straight into a vertical angle, then pulled the trigger... What?

I crane my head up to see nothing, I moved my fingers around the air where the handle once was before lowering my hand to look at the center triangle. Something could be heard in the distance, like an engine, turning my head I see two separate dim lights in the distance. I hurriedly rolled down my plaid sleeves in a effort to hide the Prisma, forcing myself to stand up I clumsily lean against the black Dodge Challenger to look casual when they pass by. When I notice that there's no gloves on me I settle by tucking my hands in the pockets of my black jeans before pulling my shemagh up to my nose. As the vehicle drew closer my mind flooded with the possibilities of what could happen.

_'Please just pass by, pass... pass, it's not that hard.' _I thought. After seconds seemed like minutes, sooner or later the headlights exposed me. Two quick honks came by before the truck came to a stop from about a car-length from my vehicle. "Dammit..." I thought out loud, turning my head over to the silver 2002 GMC pick up truck. The engine and headlights turned off before both of the doors opened to reveal two silhouettes. One of them brought out a flashlight and faced it towards me. Under the moon's dim glow... and the blinding flashlight, I could barely see the appearance of the guy in front of me. He had brown hair with a similar crew cut like me, was wearing a brown shirt under a green field jacket along with black jeans and black shoes.

"Hey." He called out, lowering the flashlight. "Everything alright here? There's been local reports of unusual activity."

"Yea-" Pain struck through my head at that moment. "Yes." I manage to say. "Unusual activity?"

"Yeah, people have been seeing flashes on the road recently? Like, blue, red, and white. Seen any?" The man says, getting out a red flare to mess around with it to lower his boredom.

"Nothing." I lie. Is the Prisma really that bright? Jeez, at this rate I'll have to wear a long sleeve and gloves everyday! As my mind takes time to cool off from this seemingly imminent fact another question rises. "I'm sorry, but you say locals? Around this area?" I look around at the multiple trees that were surrounding the road, some already there, and the other ones that started to grow in the six month period.

"Some like their survival experience isolated, can't say I blame them though... since the downtown area was a bloodbath at the beginning." He settled his head to the ground, as if to give the unfortunate majority a moment of silence before lifting up his head. "Well, if you see anything out of the ordinary, radio channel four is always on the watch, alright?"

I nod my head in acknowledgement. "Got it." I manage to say casually as my headache is now mostly nullified. As we all nod in farewell we make our way to our own transport, just as soon as I reach out for the door handle a breeze blows by and makes my head suddenly bolt up. I find myself looking at the many trees in front of me, obscuring any visual ahead. As my brain takes it time to ask me what exactly am I doing, about one fourth of my mind is yelling at me that something's off. I don't know why but it's there, not ten seconds later I hear it, faint sounds of crunching grass.

"What's up?" The man says on my right. I simply take my right hand out of my pocket to make a silence gesture. I look left and right, slowly scanning the area beyond. I make a quick glance to the man at the truck, he was staring at my palm, the center of my Prisma. As a hard breeze ran through another time before I saw a flash of silver flying at high velocity towards an area between my eyes. A sharp painful edge grazed the right side of my neck as I quickly tilt my head to avoid a direct hit. Huh... I've seen this before haven't I?

"Skeletons... Great." I think out loud as one appears out of the woods. Definitely not a hybrid, as the bare bones suggest. The skeleton just stands there. looking at us until the many moans of the undead break out behind it. I look back at the two people by the truck, the man that I talked to quickly took of the cap of the flare he was playing around with and quickly lit it before throwing it on the black road we were currently standing on. "We're near Alta aren't we?" I call out to the other two who were continuously lighting up flares to set a safety perimeter around us, I then hurry to the trunk of the Challenger to search for flares. When I do, I start helping out.

"They're not supposed to be here!" The man says, getting out two shotguns out of his truck, tossing one to his partner. I turned my back on them to roll up my sleeve, the Prisma is still acting up.

"Come on... not now..." I mutter to myself while using multiple gestures in an attempt to summon some sort of weapon I may have left in my inventory.

"Uhm... hey!?" The guy says behind me. I look up to see more skeletons alongside the middle one and behind all the bones was rotten green flesh. "Please tell me you have a flare gu- wha-?!"

"What's up?" I ask, still busy trying to take control of my inventory.

"Your... back has..." When he was at a loss of words I looked back at him one more time.

"Has wha-? Fuck my life..." I mutter as soon as I see a grey floating broken glass like wing hovering behind my right shoulder. When I reached out to touch it my hand recoiled back, damn that's cold! When multiple cracks of bones can be heard I peeked up to see every single one of them readying their bows and arrows.

* * *

**Meanwhile...**

**_Narrator PoV_**

Muffled engines roared in the cabin of the C-5 Galaxy as soldiers started to release the buckles of their last five supply crates. Only two were off to the side, operating a radio.

"Base, this is Alaska six eighty five, nearly done with our milk run only two packages left, do you copy?" Said a man in a green camouflage uniform, holding the microphone while the other was turning a knob to maintain a stable frequency. No response, only the sound of others chatting in the background. "Base, do you copy?" He says once more only to be followed by static, he then tossed the mic aside in frustration. "Still nothing..." The man mutters.

"Figures." The radio operator replies. "With the huge dark zones out here it makes you wonder if anyone is still alive down there. Especially if we're just throwing away valuable supplies."

"Well... If they're weren't any people we wouldn't be in the center of Texas would we, Helix?" The man replies.

"Yeah, whatever..." Helix sighs, he then noticed a spike in the radio waves on his monitor. "Hey, Brandon. I think we might finally have a connection." He says, tossing the microphone at his comrade.

"Hm." Brandon mutters as he brings the microphone in front of his mouth, he clicks a button before speaking. "Hey all of you lazy motherfuckers." Brandon looks at Helix with a smug grin, Helix replies by suppressing a small laugh with his arm as he monitors the frequency. "This is Alaska six eighty five, informing that we are almost done with our run so if you bitches could stop sitting on your asses all day and copy back, that'd be great." He settles the microphone down, once more.

A second or two of radio static comes by before a female voice sounds. "Ah... We copy, Alaska... And uh, Brandon? If that was you, our C.O. just wants to let you know... You now have the graveyard shift in overwatch as soon as you get that bird grounded."

Helix tried his best not to laugh, but due to the convenience it seemed impossible that he could remain silent. "Damn." He chuckled, as he looked at Brandon's frozen smug grin.

"Well... shit." Was all that Brandon could say.

"Heh, heh... Well-" Helix says as he elbows Brandon before getting up. "If we're done here, I'm going to sleep." Helix then makes his way towards the row of seats located on the right side of the cabin.

"Hey, that's my line, dick!" Brandon's distant voice sounded from behind. Helix smirked before finding an empty seat. If it were up to him, he'd rest without a seat belt, for it was more comfortable that way. But since it's a required regulation, and mostly because he didn't want to face the same fate as Brandon, he reached out to the two belt buckles on each side on the seat before clicking both of them together. Finding... or rather struggling for a comfortable position after a long period of time, he closed his eyes for a while before sleep got a hold of him.

* * *

The next thing he felt was a large breeze of cold wind cutting his face and whistling in his ear, his eyebrows furrowed before opening his eyes to see a clean, bright blue sky with clouds that were shaped like cubes. Looking around his surroundings, Helix found himself on the peak of a giant snowy mountain, looking down he observed the mountain was made of blocks. "What the fuck?" Helix muttered as he looks beyond the thick mist below to see a few tall trees, suggesting a forest right next to a sandy desert. Helix made a quick scan of himself to find he at least still had his normal body that was clothed by a dark grey nylon shirt, woodland green digital camo trousers with an Beretta APX holstered, and lastly, black combat boots.

"Well, you're u-" An unfamiliar voice sounded behind Helix. He cut him off my swiftly quick drawing his pistol and aiming it behind him, towards the voice's chest. As the figure became visible to Helix's eye, he saw that it was a bearded man in a fedora and a slightly ripped brown shirt. The unknown man raised his hands casually. "...-nique." He finishes before casually dropping his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Nice to meet you, three." The man looks at the firearm calmly. "Are you going to put that down anytime soon? Your weapons don't work in this dimension." Helix hesitates before slowly turning the gun away, preparing to put the theory to the test. "Whoa, hey! Don't-!" The moment of his warning it was too late, a bang interrupted him. The bullet sliced through the air and to the ground, kicking up the earth on impact. Helix looked at the bullet trail with astonishment, time seemingly came to a stop, even the fire from the muzzle flash froze in place. "Helix, let it go. Now." Notch demanded, gradually growing more concerned by the second. He fabricated a stone block in his hand before throwing it at Helix's hand, hitting the gun from his grip just in time before time seemed to reverse, slamming the bullet back in Helix's Beretta. The gun floated in midair for a second before Helix blinked, after that the pistol shattered.

"Huh..." Helix mutters, staring at the spot where his weapon got obliterated. He then awkwardly turned his head towards the man. "Yeah... I'll just go now." As Helix walks off he soon comes by an edge in the mountain.

The other man's voice sounds relatively close to his ear. "There's no path off of here. Without... breaking your legs of course." Helix flinched back.

"Jesus! What the-?..." He looked over to where he last seen the man, then looked to see that the man is right next to him. Helix stumbled away, feeling an uneasy feeling in his head.

"Hm, should've known. Your species are one of the only ones we know who experience altitude sickness. Which is the exact reason I'll make this brief." The man breathed in before speaking his next words. "My name is Markus, or you can just call me Notch. And you, are one of the few who can stop all this."

"...All this?" Helix questioned.

Notch walked around the mountain as he spoke. "You know, _this. _Apocalypse... Hell... and, insanity for many." He looks towards the sky.

"And... what do I have to do with this exactly? Why?"

"Lift up your right pant leg." Notch instructed, still not looking at him.

"Why?..." Helix asked.

Notch then scratched his beard. "It's the only connection I could make out of the others." Notch turned around towards Helix. Helix spreads his arms out before dropping them at his sides. With his right arm, he lifted his right pant leg. Revealing a metal limb made out of titanium. "I'll say, that 'prosthetic' as you people call it seems more... efficient than others."

"Well, it's military graded. It's much like a natural leg, surely they wouldn't allow me to help with the other civilian models." Helix replies, letting go of his grip on the fabric. "So is that what I have in common? Robotics?"

"Not entirely. For starters, every single one of you are a bitch to find. Usually when you transfer to this world, you'd be in a plains biome and not... on top the largest range in minecraftia. Not in a desert if you're a wolf. And _definitely_ not standing on water at an ocean when you're a young extrovert that has gone intro in a matter of months... Interesting story though, I'll tell you later. Has the name Eden ever crossed your mind?"

Helix shook his head. "No, it has not. Why?"

"Let's just say that someone of importance fell from heaven. And if his relatives find out, we'll have another massive problem besides my brother." Helix furrowed his eyebrow upon hearing this.

"What is he? Some sort of... killing machine?" Helix says.

"What? No! He's just a child... who just happens to be a few thousand years old." Notch stops himself from getting off topic by tightening his jaw. "Eden is someone who has the capability of turning the tides, and the last place we saw him was when he fell and transferred to your world for an unknown reason."

"Sorry." Helix says. "But I haven't seen or heard of this... kid. But in case I do, how will I know who he is?"

"Well, judging that he transferred to your world... He most likely has the physical appearance of an eight year old, and light purple or blue eyes. Watch out for scales by the way."

"Scales? What the hell is he?"

"An Ender Dragon that has been converted to Aether by-" Notch was interrupted by roaring thunder, and with it a strong wind that tugged both him and the mortal that stands in front of him. Helix brings his arm up to shield his eyes as he witnesses the sky becoming darker, and thunder in the distance. Soon dark cubic clouds began to flood the dark valleys of mountains around their location.

"Whoa..." Helix muttered as he looked down. Over the rain and lightning beneath him, he heard a series of hushed cursing beside him. Helix turned his head to see Markus walking back and fourth and scratching his head.

"Fuck!" He yelled in frustration, shutting his eyes. As Helix looked closer he could see that his eyes were darting everywhere under the eyelids.

"Wha-" Before Helix could finish, Notch turned around and walked over.

"Our calculations were wrong, Eden is falling towards your location." Notch says.

"Hey, I'm on a cargo plane, I can't just get off of it." Helix replies with half-raised arms.

"That's why it's a bad situation for you. Let me rephrase myself, he's going to fall _on _you." As he throws his arm down, red glowing vein starts to ripple from his shoulder down to his palm. When Helix witnesses what's ahead of him he starts to step back, or at least tries to. For some reason he can't move at all, not even move an inch from his prosthetic. As he looks back Helix realizes he's standing at the edge of the mountain. "Ready yourself, and remember. Eden is an important piece for the future. Protect it with Fire!" Notch says as he lunges towards Helix, aiming to hit with his palm. As he does Helix felt a searing pain in his chest, before he head time to yell in pain, a force similar to a missile launched him from the surface and into a freefall. Other than the pain he was feeling, it seemed like he couldn't breathe. As if oxygen was forcefully being shut away.

* * *

Helix closed his eyes for a second or two before opening them once again to find himself seated in the giant metal canopy of the C-5 Galaxy he was on. He looked up to see the some of the soldiers prepping the packages while the majority looked above the ceiling, walking slowly, seemingly confused about their surroundings. That was, until Helix heard the same sound they're hearing. A distant high pitched sound that was getting louder each passing second. _'He's falling.' _A familiar voice ringed in Helix's mind.

"Shit!" Helix muttered quietly to himself as he hastily tightened both of his straps, the noise grew louder and louder, it sounded like a giant artillery shot. "Hold on to somethi-!" His sentence was interrupted by a big ball of flame as it broke through the roof and penetrated the floor, destroying one of the packages in the process. After that, it seemed like time moved slowly. As a violent breeze of wind bursted through out the cargo canopy, flooding out next thing Helix saw was a plastic hanging object that dropped down in front of his face. Out of impulse he grabbed it and pressed it towards his mouth and struggled to attach the strings around his head, all while moving his head down and away from the violent gusts of wind. The wind soon occupied his hearing and later on Helix found the edges of his peripheral vision start to darken, it didn't take long for him to realize he was starting to pass out. Then came the loud sound of churning metal, suddenly the left side of the cargo bay started to gape open. By the time, most soldiers struggled to their seats, some secured their buckles by some miracle. Others weren't so lucky, as few fell into the breach, falling to their inevitable death. When the cargo canopy busted into two, Helix's ears were just occupied by a loud pitch ring that was accompanied by rapid breathing. The dark edges of his vision began to expand towards the center, as stars filled his sight he felt nothing. No wind, siren from the plane... He passed out.

* * *

**_Nikolai PoV_**

The sound gunshots filled the thin cold air, and with it was the familiar clinking sound of empty cartridge and shell cases as they rained from the bolts of a M9 pistol and a civilian grade AR-12 shotgun. The two that were firing were crouching by their truck while I was taking cover by my narrow car that provided a small portion of protection compared to theirs. "Hey!" I yelled over the noise of cracking bones and death moans of zombies.

"What?!" Replied the man with the semi-auto shotgun, firing a few more rounds before releasing the magazine. As a zombie crept up to the side of him, his partner quickly intervened by pistol whipping its head. As the zombie was disoriented the partner quickly took hold of its head and bashed it against the metal chassis of their vehicle. When he roughly pulled his shirt back, he threw it to the ground. Pulling back the slide of his pistol, he fired two 9mm bullets to its head after stomping on its chest to keep it still, splattering blood on the light grey road. He nodded to the man as if to say, 'Your welcome.' This fucking guy... he's a ruthless badass, isn't he?

"Do you got anything I could use?" I say, rubbing my right arm. "This... isn't working at the moment."

The man ducked down to pull out another magazine from his jacket. "Those flashes, was that coming from you?!"

"Yep... a side effect from, ah. The new world that's being a dick." I shook my head from getting off topic. "Look, you need me to help or-?" As if by instinct, my arms raised up to catch the shotgun the guy was holding. "Okay... What about you?" I ask as I examine the firearm. The man simply, opens the door of his truck to pull out a dagger and a medium length sword. "Dude, seriously? This is a ranged situation." I said, pulling the charging handle of the shotgun to load it. The guy spun the blade in his hand before throwing it sideways. The whizzing sound of steel filled the air until eventually a thump sound occurred, followed by something falling down, most likely undead flesh. Sure enough, when I looked up, I saw a dead zombie with a handle jammed in its throat. When I looked back at the man I had but one last question. "Just... who the fuck _are _you people?"

"I should be asking you the same thing." He says, getting out another sword for his partner who tossed his pistol in the window of the truck. "Get ready for the last wave." The man instructed, tightening his grip on the sword.

"Skeletons are either dead or they ran off, melee from here on out." The man's partner spoke for the first time.

"All right, we're finally catching a break..." The man stretched his neck as he emerged from his cover, as did all of us. There were at least eleven zombies left, all of them spread out. "Cool, an odd number. Who ever kills the most'll get three gold shards."

"Awesome." His partner replies as he readies his sword.

As all of us brace ourselves, a loud thunder clap sounds in the sky. Then, a bright orange ball of light shines in my peripheral vision. As I lower my borrowed shotgun, I look up to see multiple fragments of flame raining from the sky, falling east if I remember correctly, towards the city. A slice and an unbearable death gurgle blew me back towards the current situation, I found a dead corpse in front of me with a blade through its chest. "Hey! Pull the trigger to shoot, in case you didn't know." The man says. When I look behind him I see a distinct green limb reaching for his shoulder. I then raised the shotgun towards him and flicked off the safety, when a cocking sound ringed the man cursed, ducking out of the way from the muzzle, leaving the zombie wide open. An explosion filled the cold air, the buckshot sent the zombie stumbling back, tripping on another corpse along the way. The man looked at the mob, then at me.

I shrugged my arms. "Thanks for the tip?" I silently replied. The man smirked a little and simply nodded before getting back up. A pain then spiked up my arm. "Gah! ...Damn it!" I yell as I pull off my sleeve to see that my apparent 'blessing' is acting up a lot more violently than before, it seems like a complex glitch, and its tearing itself apart with every passing moment. A ping sound ringed in my ear after weak blue pulses traveled down my right arm. I looked up to see the man and his partner froze in motion. Distortion filled my ears as time seemed to be stuttering, speeding and slowing my reaction time in quick succession. _'Come on...' _I muttered in my mind as I took hold of my right arm. I sensed my wings materializing and cracking behind my back. "Work, you useless piece of shit!" I yelled, slamming my fist onto the road. A blue aura exploded from me, making my illuminating orange wings fade into a bright grey that you can mistaken for white if you're far away. The complex pattern on my arm was still distorted but it doesn't hurt as much anymore.

_Background music: "Little Black Submarines" by The Black Keys_

The world around me was still, in a state of tranquility. No sound, no movement, nothing. I rise up to view the battlefield, tons of bones scattered all over the place, at least thirty rotten corpses laying on the road and foliage by the nearby trees where they first ambushed us. I looked at both of my shoulders to see my glass wings. Slowly, my right hand approached a nearby distorted small narrow shard, cold as ice to the moment I touched it. My hand recoiled back at the sharp essence, a clear liquid leaked out of the cuts of my fingers... this... isn't blood? After a moment of examining the mild wound, I reached towards the glass fragment and tried again, this time I forcefully held it, bearing the sharpness and cold touch.

I then looked towards the remaining eight hostile mobs around us before walking towards the closest one which was right next to the man's badass partner who was running carelessly at his right side. As I was in distance, I raised the narrow needle shaped shard to push it into its chest. I repeated this process to all the others that I could manage to reach, stabbing the unstable fragments of my wings into the chests, heads, and necks of zombies until a faint whisper of wind filled my ears. I don't know why exactly I know this, but something is just sort of... implying that doing all of this is what I need to do. As time slowly catches up to me, I'm right behind the last zombie which was to the right side of the road. I level the barrel of the shotgun at its head before pulling the trigger, setting off a muffled bang that slowly became clearer as time restored.

As that zombie fell to the ground, so did the others. Either falling to their knees or others who seemed like they tripped over an invisible object while running. The two strangers rapidly swiveled their heads around in confusion before looking at me and my bright wings. I should be... reassuring them at this point, right? Wait... why can't I move? Although I should feel a state of confusion of confusion or panic, I don't really feel anything at all. I was just staring blankly at them, dropping the AR-12 to the ground. I then motioned my head to my vehicle and back. "Well, thanks for the help." I said, weakly. As my motor functions suddenly returned to me, I turned around and walked towards the door to my car to open it. By then my wings shattered to dust before being swept away by the wind.

**_Man's PoV_**

This guy is just... Where the hell did he come from? One second he was right next to me then the bright flash came and he's... When the guy opened the door to his car I quickly spoke up. "Hey!" I yelled, stopping him momentarily. He turned his head horizontally.

"Yes?" He faintly spoke with half closed eyes. This is probably the only time I'll get the chance.

"What's your name?" I asked. "-And what are you, one of _them_?" The guy hesitated before moving his mouth.

"Connor." The boy replied. "I'm just about as human as you... Though, I don't know if people will consider me one now." Connor lifted up his scarf up to the nose before stepping into his vehicle.

"Hey, wait!" I said. there's more questions, a _lot_ more I wanted answers to. Before I knew it, the matte black muscle car drove off. I just stood there for a while before looking at my shotgun. As walked over to retrieve it, I returned to the GMC truck and jabbed Jack's shoulder as I walked past him.

"Want to follow him?" Jack asked as we entered our vehicle. I simply rubbed my eyes before sighing.

I started the truck's engine before turning it around, away from the direction the stranger took. "...I need a drink, 'seen enough shit for one day." I muttered beneath my breath.

* * *

**10/06/2017, 12:06:47 AM  
Cytus District, Firefly Territory  
Residential Sector: B**

_**Cupa PoV**_

_'__Where is he?'_ I mentally asked myself, since a certain person rudely left during our main leader's introduction, I have to look for him before Jen and John starts to panic. At this rate, I'm going to have to make up a cover story for that idiot. Niko is one of those silent introverts, that I get but... Ever since our fight, he's been more.. quiet than usual if that makes any sense. During the walk towards the school as they call, he stayed rather far from the group. And when we got there he has been blanked out from others around him. But the current subject that pulled at me the most was that name. Rin, who is that exactly? By the way Nikolai lashed out, I suspect probably a person in his past.

I looked alley to alley, roof to roof, the park... Anything that seemed loner-ish Niko would be perhaps? I smacked my forehead with my gloved hand. _'Resorting to stereotypes now, huh?' _I muttered in my mind. I then dug into the right pocket of my brown pants to get out Niko's smartphone. It's... odd wearing this type of clothing, back in Minecraft you would only find humans wearing such things compared to our traditional clothes. We'd only have either shirts and stockings along with a pair of leather shoes. Hoodies were given out in very rare occasions such as festivals or even as a reward for acts of "Bravery," one of which involves killing a human. Since a child I've always been afraid of them, I wished they'd never exist, to leave all of us in peace. That was, until that day I somehow traveled to this world and met Niko. On that day, I was sure my life was at its end, that I was going to die at the hands of a human like the others. But he wasn't like that, he doesn't have that trait the majority of humans in Minecraft have when they see us: Bloodlust.

He vouched for me to provide shelter, showed me how stuff works in this world, and during those talks on the days he was injured, he treated me like a normal person despite being a different species. He accepted me from the moment I revealed my true self, while others hesitated to do so. So yeah, to receive my hoodie by killing a person like him would be the equivalence of murdering your own brother for the sake of being a hero.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts, as I held the phone in my hands, I connected a pair of earbuds before hiding the wire inside my hoodie. Looping it out of the collar of my shirt, I then inserted them in my ears, pressing the play button and letting fate decide the song,"Best Of You." By Foo Fighters. I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my jacket and strode around the sidewalks of the neighborhood to see lanterns on the porches and candles on the fences of houses. Parents and elders rounding up their children to get them ready for sleep. And other young teens with that extra hour privilege to play with others by kicking a ball back and forth. Some looked at me with curious eyes before nodding at me and flashing a welcoming smile.

I felt a sense of happiness as I waved back at them. It's pretty funny how people treated me around here when we first joined the Fireflies. Everyone averted their eyes and kept a distance from me, I started earning a bit of approval when the street needed more hands when it came to babysitting. Since I had nothing to do at the time, I helped Jen with her work. She seemed to have the responsible role while the... um, _entertaining _role suited me. I made a couple of mistakes such as tripping, and overall had a silly expression I wasn't aware of. This seemed to amuse the children that were six and below, soon these mistakes came more often, by intention just to cheer them up and keep them in a bright mood. Later the children loved having me as a babysitter, they'd tell me how their day was going, and who would be eating other kid's lunches in a effort to increase their parent's trust to let me take care of them more often. They're just so cute! I felt like I could talk to them for hours!

I started playing with the early teenagers next, to pass the time when the younger ones were having their lunch or nap. I've learned so much from those five teenagers that just nodded at me. They showed me how to play multiple sports such as soccer, kickball, baseball, and dodge ball. Still trying to get used to basketball though, freaking travelling fouls... But as time came by, there were times that I forgotten I was an alien to these people. I felt... well, human dare I say it. And that leads up until here, the youth approve of me and so do the elders, I'm always welcome here.

As I continue strolling through I catch a glimpse of a shadow in the moonlight. "Huh?" I say, pausing the music and taking out one earbud, looking behind. As I see nothing I slowly continue walking, figuring it was nothing.

"KYAAA!" A scream of battle could be heard in the distance. Startled, I quickly look back to see a body on a collision course. Before I could get the chance to scream, a heavy weight struck me, knocking me to the ground. I slowly opened my eyes to see something furry obscure my vision. At first I didn't know how to react until...

"Mew..." A treacherous roar sounded. Is this... what I think it is? As my vision cleared up, I found myself staring into the eyes of a horrifying untamed beast. I closed my eyes and let out a loud shriek, pushing the unknown weight off of me. I crawled away desperately, and soon I felt tears well up in my eyes.

"Happy..." A gasp of air followed until another word could be heard. "Halloween!"

_'What?_' I thought. I opened my eyes to see the red eyes of Kelly. And in her hands... a terrifying creature. "Get that thing way from me!" I yelled.

"Aw, well that's not nice at all!" Kelly pouts, snuggling onto the cat.

"Pulling that stunt _wasn't_ nice at all!" I remark, wiping away my tears. "Halloween?" I ask. I've heard it before from Niko, but I thought it was later?

"Ah, yeah!" Kelly's eyes light up. "The day of frights and treats! Or tricks." She winked, getting out a plastic object from her jacket. "And behold! The treat!" As she holds out the plastic with both hands the cat jumps off of her lap and runs off. "Hey, wait!" Kelly reaches out to the cat but soon grumbles in defeat as the beast is out of reach. As she seems to let it go she tossed the plastic object at me, I barely catch it with two hands and look at it blankly.

"But... it's not even Halloween yet..." I mutter.

"Hm? What was that?" Kelly asked. I shook my head.

"Nothing." I responded, keeping her spirit intact. As Kelly gets hold of her own bar, she rips apart the outer layer to reveal a brown rectangle. I then follow her lead, unwrapping the casing and revealing the brown essence within. "What is this?"

"Not sure." Kelly replies, tilting her bar. "As far as I know, it's something called 'chocolate bar.'"

"What do we do with it?"

"Eat it."

"Eat it?"

"Yep!" Kelly answers.

A long moment of silence went by. Fool me once... "Is this another trick?" I ask.

"No, or... at least I don't think it is, I've never tried these myself." She's aware of my suspicions. Her shoulder drop. "Okay, well eat it on three, 'kay?"

"Okay..." I mutter, bracing myself.

"Three..."

"Two..."

"One!"

I quickly take a bite from the bar, I turn my head to see Kelly didn't move an inch... So much for promises. Then, a burst of sweetness filled my mouth. It was a sweet, smooth texture, urging me to eat more. And so I did, Kelly seemed thrown off by my reaction.

"What the-?!" Her smug smile evaporated into confusion, and she tested it for herself. Needless to say... she enjoyed it.

"What was all this for?" I asked halfway through my chocolate bar.

"To get a reaction for starters." Kelly responded. "You know, after that..." I could tell she meant the outburst of Niko.

"Oh, yeah it was just a shock, that's all." I say, taking another bite.

"You sure?" Kelly asked, swallowing. "I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve, you know."

I waved my arm. "No! I'm serious, it's nothing." I waited a few moments before adding. "He must be under a lot of stress lately..." He also said sorry before he left. Not the sort of thing you'd want revenge for, especially if the other person take the courtesy of apologizing. After a few moments of thinking, I've noticed a few people jogging around.

Kelly shrugged. "If you say so... you know where to ask if you change your mind." She stood up after finishing her bar, looking around the area. "Where is that guy anyway?"

"Out there somewhere." I replied. "Not only he's a hard person to understand, but it's almost impossible to find him."

Kelly's eyes widened a little in surprise. "But aren't you a Creeper? The most reliable tracker out of the rest? You're an Alpha too for Notch's sake!"

"I'm trying!" I protest. "Either he is somehow invisible, or he could cover his trail _very_ easily, I'm not going to find Niko sooner or later."

"How much searching have you done?"

"I've been tracking his footprints since he left the presentation." I answer. "Odd though, after following them by the sidewalks, it just seemed to... stop. As if he vanished."

Kelly tilted her head thoughtfully. "On the sidewalk, you say?" I simply nodded my head. Kelly looked around before pointing at something off in the distance. "Are you sure it wasn't one of those?" I turned my head over to where she was pointing, a large metal object came into view, a car. From the looks of it, it's pretty beat down. Still though...

"...Dammit." I muttered. Should of known better, after all, it _is _what humans here travel in those machines. But if he's not here... "He's outside?" I asked.

"Hm, most likely." Said Kelly, putting her hands behind her back. "And.. at night of all times too..." Kelly took a deep inhale. "Well! Hopefully this time won't be a complete failure like last time."

As I remember the moment she was referring to, it just sent out a spike of panic in my mind. Just rewinding to that night, so much blood... "We need to go right now." I declare as I move around, trying to determine which gate Nikolai passed through when he left.

"Cupa..." Kelly says. Looking to her left.

"Ugh, which exit could he have chosen, _where _would he go to?!" I mutter my thoughts out loud.

"He'll be okay." Kelly attempts to reassure.

"What? No. It won't be okay, he probably needs help out there somewhere!"

"Cupa!" Kelly shouted. Making me jump.

"What?" I ask. Kelly flicks her head towards the sky, towards her left. When I finally look up I see the dark blue starry sky, with the moon obscured with dark clouds... wait. "Those... aren't clouds." I look over to Kelly, meeting her eyes. A second goes by before we noticed people jogging towards the main exit, which has one of our tallest watchtowers. While humans ran to see what was going on, spider and skeleton, and enderman hybrids either joined the rest or climbed on the roofs of houses to fulfill their curiosity.

Out of those few people that were running, Kelly caught a hold of one person by the sleeve, a male human. "Hey! What's going on?" Kelly questioned.

"Not sure, people are saying it's a fire." The man answered, breaking free of Kelly's grip and running off.

Kelly and I exchanged a nod before joining the rest.

* * *

**12:56:04 AM  
****High School: Main Parking Lot  
**_**No PoV**_

A dark haired woman walked around the flare lit parking lot with a clipboard and pencil, rapidly scribbling down on it. She took a brief second to adjust the plaid scarf before shouting in the air. "Come on people, move! I want scouts up and at out there on the double!" She stepped on a make shift ledge before delivering further instructions. "Get these bikes juiced up half a tank and make sure it's dirt worthy in an estimate of ten minutes, it ain't going to be steady cruising out there I could promise you that!"

Out of the countless people prepping up vehicles, one walked up to her. "You mean, _vehicular_ reconnaissance? We barely have thirty gallons in reserve! We do this, and the power goes out for everybody, we need that fuel for the generators."

"What, you'd like electricity over food and water? There are families here that need those resources more than a spotlight in a place." Raven says, looking over to a pair of guys running with gasoline containers in each hand. The left one looked towards Raven with a questioning look. Raven threw up her finger and pointed it towards a row of dirt bikes with brands ranging from Honda to Roketa.

"Alright, how about security then? Our floodlights have been shining light on countless mobs our over-watches couldn't see without. Do you really want to take that chance?"

"My order still stands." Raven replies. "You and others could tap out gas from unused cars if it makes you feel any better. Otherwise, this opportunity is still in full swing." As the opposing person opened his mouth to protest, he eventually gave up.

"Fine..." Is all he said as he rounded up a couple of people in the crowd to preserve the fuel supply. Raven rubbed her eyes before opening them to see few cars rolling on the street, one of them being a familiar car Raven has saw before many times. As it took a slot in a parking lot, a boy slowly stepped out of the car. Blood stained his shirt and a bit on his black jeans

"What the hell?" Raven muttered as she stepped off the platform. As she made her way through the mechanics and assigned scouts, she eventually caught up to the guy who was leaning against the black vintage car, he was breathing heavily. His eyes slowly trailed in her direction.

"Plane..." He breathed out of exhaustion. "It was heading towards the city." The guy clenched his chest before finishing his sentence. "Get Erin."

"He knows uh..." Raven struggled to recall a name, fortunately this boy has been serving enough overwatches lately to remember. "-Nikolai." Raven says. "We're going to investigate it soon. You should get those checked out."

Nikolai waved his free hand in dismissal. "No, it's... not my blood. Mobs are starting to use ambushing tactics now." As he closed the door to his car he stopped halfway. "Where's Erin?"

Raven shrugged. "Where he always is. But you gotta have a hell of a reason to visit him right now, he's busy as it is."

Nikolai locked eyes on her for a second. "It's _urgent_." He vaguely answered. Before Raven could ask him exactly what it's about, a crew of three mechanics approached the car.

"Hey! Mind if we borrow some gas?" A girl in what seemed like 18 in age asked.

Nikolai shrugged. "Have at it." Without further ado, the other two people brought out a gas can and a siphoning kit before attaching it to the vehicle.

"Huh... That was easy." The mechanic exclaimed.

"Not going to be driving anytime soon anyway.." Nikolai shrugs as he says this.

"Thanks, you have no idea how much crap you'll have to deal with other people around here." She says as she turns around and kneels down to help her other two partners. "I mean seriously, just when you find what seems like an abandoned car, some guy just runs at you yelling, 'hey what the hell do you think you're doing?!' And we have to take an hour or two to clear up the situation before asking for their consent, and you know what they always say?! No. And it irritates the hell out of me! I'm sorry, not sure if you heard that explosion in the sky and saw _flaming_ falling debris of a plane. OK, fine don't want to find out what happened? Fine with me!" The mechanic took a deep breath from her rant before turning around. "Anyway, I really appreciate this. My name is Pepper, how about y-" Pepper paused before looking at blank, empty space in front of her. "...Well. That was rude.." She muttered, dazed by confusion. She was near certain that no nearby footsteps sounded, indicating Nikolai's exit. "Huh..."

**Towards Nikolai's location...**

Nikolai stumbled from the sudden burst of speed, struggling to regain his balance before he could fall flat on his face. But to no avail, he did anyway. Normally this would be what he'd refer to 'instant karma.' But considering that the recent launch wasn't by his will, he wasn't sure what to call it. As he slowly picks himself back up, he rubbed his face to ease up the numbness. Nikolai then looked at the area he seemed to warp to, the few open parks seemed to indicate he was still in somewhere in Cytus. A very familiar sector... As he heard the sound of clicking against the sidewalks nearby, all he saw were a few people adults and young teenagers walking by. They just looked up at the sky, not believing what they're seeing, a large dark cloud, slightly illuminated bright yellow from fire.

"Dammit..." He mumbled, as he looked at the direction of his destination. If his Prisma was stable, he'd be talking to Erin right now, but his supernatural power acted up to take him at least a few miles in the opposite direction. At that moment, Nikolai's right palm started to burn. He clenched his fingers and breathed heavily in pain, he closed his eyes shut as his hand forcefully formed a fist. After that, a cold metal object seemed to materialize in his palm, Niko looked down to see a black flare gun. It had an ash grey color to the rust which was mainly located at the end of the short barrel and handle. Most likely it was damaged by fire.

Nikolai just looked blankly at the gun, expressionless. After what seemed like a good five minutes he growled out. "Oh, fuck you!" Before throwing the emergency indicator on the road. He proceeded to scratch his hair through his cap in frustration, looking around the neighborhood to gain his sense of direction. A sense of pressure filled Nikolai's mind, like before, but it had less of a kick to it. A period of incoherent talking rang through his head, not the sort of whispers you'd usually expect but rather as if you were in a crowded downtown area, or perhaps your average school lunch room. Blinking multiple times in an attempt to snap out of the daze. Nothing seemed to work at all, the dark edges of his eyes began to expand further until his vision suddenly brightened.

* * *

_**Nikolai PoV**_

When I gain my surroundings back, I turn my head to look at the bleak world around me... only to find out it's not like that anymore. These broken sidewalks are now paved and appears to be brand new. Cars and trucks in the driveways of destroyed and salvaged houses were now clean and washed, and actually seemed operational. Houses were in a proper condition, corner stores across the street were open. The world is back to what it once was. A small grin started to spread across my face.

Then, a quick painful sensation sparked in the back of my head as something hit it. "Idiot." A familiar voice said, one I thought I would not hear again. I turn my eyes to my left to find dark red cropped hair and golden irises. "How many times do I have to tell you, stop with all this street fight crap! I could only hide it for so long, soon your mother is going to find out." She stepped in front of me before extending her index finger at me. "Well?" Rin said, expectantly. I knew the drill.

"...Sure." I mutter, my mind still dazed by the non-conflicted world. Rin sighed before face palming her forehead.

"Seriously, what am I going to do with that damn clouded head of yours?"

"...Thank you." I say absently, with a warm smile. Rin opened her eyes at that and looks at me as if I'm crazy. Hell, I probably am.

"Wh-What?"

I continue, walking our usual route to my house. Thinking back at these times, I realize that I've never said that to her 'Thank you' the only times I've said that was either a joke that had nothing to do with her or I used it in sarcasm. Either way, it's the least I could say. So what the hell, right? As she follows me, I speak up. "Well- For everything you've done, really. For your concerns, generosity, and... for staying." I looked one last time around the pre-apocalypse neighborhood before putting my hands back in my pockets, then I breathed deeply. "While others would call me a freak... or um, lost cause... You've always been there, like a..." I choked up before I spoke my last word. "Friend. Annd... I would like.. to officially thank you for that. And I'll never forget what you've done."

Rin crossed her arms and shifted her weight on her other foot. "I... don't know what to say Nikolai. Are you? Taking drugs?"

I kinda laughed at that. "I don't even know. So many... dreams I've had. All of them..." As memories flooded in about the darkest parts of my past, I've decided to skip that. "Anyway, this is the best one by far- wha-?." I got interrupted as Rin suddenly stepped forward and lifted my cap slightly before resting her hand on my forehead.

"Something has to be going on with your head right now... Are you going through some sort of corrupt data phase right now?"

"N-No Rin, I mean it. Thank you." I say, taking her hand off of me. Rin took a step back and looked me in the eyes for a few seconds.

"Okay... this is creepy. No other way to put it, just-... weird.."

I decided to mess with her a little bit. "Weird? Come on, you're one to talk... Redhead..."

"It's natural!" She protested, putting one hand on her hair and pouting.

"If it was brighter I might just believe that, until I see proof, it's dyed." I felt a small smile started to expand, I then tilted my head down to hide it.

Rin just sighed. "Whatever. But still, you're acting weird and... you seem happy." I blinked at that.

"Is it really that strange?" I ask as my head lifts up to see an unreadable face.

"You've been suffering loss since you were a child, from what your mother has described."

"Really? In those exact words?" I ask. Strange, if I remember correctly, she would usually give me the hard truth rather than sugar coating or even hiding it.

"Well, not exactly. Just implied." Rin breathed in and exhaled while smiling. "Well, no matter. If you're going to be like this now I suppose you wouldn't mind me calling you Ni-Chan again would you?"

"Seriously, you're only older than me by what? A month? I'm not your little brother." The red haired girl crossed her arms and still looked at me expectantly... Right, she always wants me to give a say, _valid_ answer. So with that, I cross my arms and shrug my shoulders. "Sure, have at it."

"I'll take your word then!~" Rin said in a teasing voice.

I suppressed a grin, why couldn't everyday be like this? Once I've finally found purpose to strive in my interests and understand hers, this apocalypse crumbles the world to it's foundations. Ever since I've met Notch there was a feeling as soon as he explained what was actually happening, you can call it resent. After all, this isn't our fight to begin with in the first place! Herobrine came from _your_ world, it was _your_ responsibility as some god or whatever to resolve the problem, and most importantly, _You_ were to make sure this wouldn't happen again under any circumstances if it meant some sort of genocide. I don't know what these other "chosen" think about this conflict, but it seems to me that we're all paying the price for their mistake.

"And it's gone." Rin's soft voice broke through my thoughts.

"Wh-What?" I ask.

"That weird thing on your face, what's it called again? A _smile_." She emphasized the word out of it's rarity. I shrugged casually. As I look up from the sidewalk, I see my old home. That medium sized, white painted house that was built for four, my mother, father, me, and a future brother or sister. And well, things didn't go as planned.

As we stepped up to the door I twisted the knob. "Yep." I say, opening the door. "Legend says that you'll get another chance to see it once every fifty years..." As I stepped in the house I noticed there was thick smoke everywhere. "Shit." I curse unintentionally before breaking into a run, lifting my shemagh up to my nose.

"Wait, Ni-Chan!" I heard Rin's voice behind me.

"I swear to god, if this is another damn nightmare..." I mumbled angrily through the smoke. As I turn towards the kitchen and walk in, I see a figure towards the stove. Human, female, and mid thirties. The woman turned her head back towards me to respond to my footsteps.

"Hm?" She hums looking at me. It's... her, that long silk brown hair and silver irises are all too familiar to me as well as her young complexion. She wore a light blue sweater and black jeans. "Oh, hi Niko!" She greeted with a warm smile. "As with you, Rin." She nodded towards Rin who stepped right next to me.

"Hello, Ms. Miles." Rin smiled back, holding up two fingers in greeting. She then walked pass me and took a seat at the table.

"Staying for dinner again?" Mother asked.

"Yep!" Rin answered gleefully. "So what is it going to be today? Can I help?"

"First thing's first, do you have permission to be here in the first place?"

Rin shrugged. "Something like that." Mother sighed before looking back at the pans.

"Just porkchops, nothing special. As to helping... sure, come on up here. I can show you how to apply spices." Mother then turned her gaze towards me. "You can wait in your room, dinner will be ready soon."

I tucked my hands in my pockets. "What? Is this some sort of special private lesson?"

Mother moved her hand to turn up the heat of the stove. "Yes, actually. I'd like to have a word with Rin, alone if you don't mind." A small moment came by before I raised up my arms and taking a step back.

"Alright, whatever you need." I say, turning around and heading towards the staircase. Before I head upstairs though, I try to listen to the two in case if any interesting topics come out. Hm, nothing. As I take a step, I hear faint words that halted my advance.

"...I care for him, you know."

"We both do... Has he ever told you why he isolates himself so much?"

"You're going to tell me?" Rin's words seemed casual, but that slight waver shows her actual curiosity. I kinda am as well, I wonder what she thinks of this complicated image of me. For the next few seconds, I slowly stepped towards the corner to get a better spot.

"Well, although he may not show it, he really does care about others. Whether 'close acquaintance' or a complete stranger."

"Really? Well... last thing I remember from him is that apparently people get in his way." Rin replied. Mother simply laughed.

"Is that what he says? My, he sure does tend to be dramatic doesn't he?" I hear a bit shuffling of pans and spice containers in the background before she continued. "It's quite the opposite actually... He's afraid."

_'...What?'_ I say in my mind, recalling that one phrase. At this point, I'm peeking in the kitchen area. There, I see only the backs of Mother and Rin.

"Of what?" Rin says with frustration in her voice. "I'm pretty sure if he can talk with three or more sentences he'd do well at making friends!"

"You see, Nikolai thinks himself as a burden to others. He doesn't want to be just another problem or someone who hurts others without trying." Her head tilts down as she says that. "No matter how well I could read him, I just wish he'd realize there's more worth to him than he realizes... Every morning he rises out of that bed, he takes on the day as best as he can. He's managed to find a 'man's best friend' as they put it, and have a job he truly enjoys." She then turns off the stove and rest's her hands on the corners of it. "After all the pain and isolation he has lived through, he always finds a way to make it better for the both of us. So as long as he's fine with it I won't meddle around his social life anymore than I already have."

"Still..." Rin mutters, looking at her in the eyes. "Miles, I saw Niko _smile. _He actually looked happy for the first time I've known him. He thanked me for my company too!" Mother froze for a bit before smiling again.

"Well, in that case I'm sure I should say the same thing. You've done him so much by even talking to him, you know that? Thank you." Mother said. I stop peeking and cross my arms before leaning back on the wall.

_'So that's what's in these 'private lessons'... interesting.' _I think.

"Are you going to just stay there or what?!" I hear Rin's voice all of the sudden.

_'Shiit.' _I cursed. I took a deep breath before fully turning around the corner, facing the two. "...Hi."

"Hello." Replied Mother with an unreadable tone.

"I'd say that answer was... sixty percent correct? Close, but some of it was not the case." I say. _'Or at least... I don't think so.' _A mental side thought passes by. "So!... Is dinner ready?" I awkwardly shove my hands in my pockets.

"Yeah, you're eating double whether you like it or not." Rin answers. If I was me at this time, I'd probably start complaining and protesting. But from recent events, this would be a blessing for others.

"No." Mother says. "I'd say... triple the servings."

Oh! Even better! As I take a step forward, a single loud ping that sounds like a small bell rings in my ears. After that my mind seemed sluggish, a slight distortion in my vision located at the top right side. Next thing I know, I'm sitting at the table and the whole food spread was organized. Now, time is running smoother.

"I swear to god, you two... you guys should work for my family. This is amazing!" Rin says enthusiastically, taking another bite of her meal.

"Really?" Mother smiled to herself, poking at the cooked food on her plate. "Stuff like this is usually rushed, half effort."

"Well, I'd say with this alone would win any cook off against the chefs back home." As Rin leans back to stretch her arms, she accidentally knocks over a cup filled with soda. "Ah!" She yelps as the cup spills over. Then the same similar thing happens again, the liquid halts in place, and distortion... nice.

Now I'm standing, facing the main door. Rin is taking her leave while waving back at both Mother and I. "Stay safe, now." Mother said, waving back at her.

Then the door closes.

"Well, I'm going to go clean up. You should go to bed, it's eleven- wha?" She gets interrupted by my arms coiling around her waist, I rest my chin on her shoulder. I'm not sure what that disturbance is, but it's likely a sign that I don't have much time left here.

"I... love you." I mutter softly. Tears slowly dripping down my eyes as I grit my teeth. My mom was stiff for a moment before her body relaxed and found comfort in the hug. She smiled warmly.

"I know..." She responded in a soft, hushed voice. The tone was very familiar, the same one she always had when comforting me as a child when I faced the aftermath of a painful accident or the first stages of social backlash, when people assumed I was a freak because I have a computer and wires jammed in my head. Her voice always made me feel safe, happy in fact, that I wasn't completely alone. "I love you too, Nikolai." Mother says as she tightens the hug. I then feel something peck my forehead, no doubt it was her.

"Mom?" I barely manage to say.

"Hm?"

"What was Dad like?"

She giggled, lifting off my cap and brushing her hand through my hair. "Exactly like you. Introverted, eccentric... And kind, loving when he opens up." A moment passes by before my mouth moves again.

"Do you miss him?"

"Every passing second." Mom answers. "When I first met him, he was a strange man. He risked his face for the sake of breaking off a bully harassment back in high school. And to think the lunch was free too." As she looked down at my intrigued face, she continued the story. "Well, it was me he rescued. When I looked for an opportunity to thank him, he'd always be either sunk deep into a book, running on the track, playing instruments at the music club, or even sleeping over a pile of books at the library. You see? Just like someone we know." I smiled at that. "Of course, schools back then had distinctive social groups of students. You know, geeks, jocks... obnoxious bitches wearing pink. Anyway, the thing about him is that he was the oddball that did not exactly belong in any of them. One moment in the day he'd be competitive and sporty, and the other he would be seen at the library hosting a game of dungeons and dragons." She then shrugged. "I guess that was one of the main things about him that I've been drawn to."

She breathed deeply, getting to what ever point she was getting. "He's lived a great life." There was a waver in her voice, a sign of crying. "Good parents, friends... and me according to him... He told me he was glad having to rescue me on that day." She sniffled. "But at least four years before that accident, when you were a newborn in that cradle, we had open minded discussions on just about anything... Well, he told me his thoughts about old age and passing on. He believed instead of grieving we should be smiling happy that one would die knowing their accomplishments. The struggles they've faced, and the joy and happiness they reaped. They would pass, giving their new generation an example of the beauties of life."

"That's... corny." I said.

"Yes, it is!" Mom replied, laughing and crying at the same time. After a long share of tears fell, I barely heard her voice. "I'll always be with you... Till death and after."

"Th-Thank you." I stutter.

A few seconds after, I notice the room deteriorating. Shards of wood and other materials lift off the ground slowly around us. I hear the bell again, this time it's soft and comforting to the ear, as the world engulfs into a white void, I look up to my Mother's grey eyes and take a moment to burn her face into my mind. I won't make the same mistake again like I have to my Dad, this will be remembered till I pass away.

"I'll see you again soon... maybe you and Dad will both have wings by then, huh?"

* * *

A different sound roars in my ears, one that repeats over the same gap of time. Up until it starts getting faster, a heartbeat. As it reaches it's highest speed I instantly open up my eyes and breathe deeply.

"He's awake!" A muffled female voice could be heard.

"Ah... hold him still for a second." Another voice said with the background sound of glass clinking.

As for me, I felt like I was going to cough my lungs out... it's just that for some reason I can hardly move, let alone talk without choking up. After a few seconds I felt hands pressing me down on my chest and head.

"I really hope this works..." The male voice muttered before approaching me and putting a glass vial close to my mouth. "Drink."

It took a while before I felt confident that I could swallow without choking on the potion. It was bad... _really_ bad, I would describe it like drinking very old soup broth. I felt something coming up from my throat. Forcing myself to roll sideways, I threw up on what I'm presuming is grass. I coughed a couple more times before I started to breathe shallowly.

"Easy now, take a breath for a few minutes." The man said, his voice barely muffled now. "Can you hear us? Give any sign." I simply nodded my head once slowly due to nausea. "It's Yusuf." He said firmly. "And Cupa as well." Yusuf seemed to hesitate before speaking again, this time to Cupa. "Alright, come on. Let's get him inside."

***Half an hour later***

I took a sip from the glass cup in my hands before setting it aside on the coffee table in front of me. After that whole aftereffect earlier has mostly worn off, Yusuf and Cupa lifted me towards one of two couches in the living room of a house that had recently been assigned a clinic area. The room was lighted by an effective placement of candles to save precious batteries.

"Take me back?" Cupa's words broke the silence in the air. She sat on the other couch in this "L" shaped arrangement.

"What?" I say, looking to my right. My voice was soft and lower than usual, but I guess that's what side effects from a power to another world does to you... Along with throwing up of course.

"That's what you said, didn't you? When we brought you in here, you muttered those words."

Hm, I don't seem to recall that. But I'm not going to deny it, I'd kill to go back in that dream. "Really? Hm, well... alright." I turn my body to lay down.

"What did you see?" She asked.

"I don't reme-" I stopped when I looked towards her. Her face seemed to tell her concern and sympathy for her. Slightly pursed lips and watery eyes, I wanted to avoid eye contact but it seems her gaze is holding my eyes still. "My... mother... and friend." I hesitantly say.

"Really? Where is she at the moment? We could always go look for her in the city if you're up for it." Wait... has Jen not told her? Anyone? "With your father too. Maybe we could pay them a visit?"

"U-Um... Cupa." I say in my most casual voice.

"Hm?"

"They're... not here anymore. It's.. um... they're dead..."

"Oh..." Cupa muttered as she lowers her head. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't know, so it's okay."

A long silence passes by again. I look up towards the pictures on the walls. I see portraits of a family, a traditional one where the two parents are standing in the middle with each having their arms wrapped around a children of three. The next one shows them at some sort of birthday party, the daughter's seventh. And the next shows all of them a bit older at an amusement park, most likely the one close by. The last one shows another family picture, the parents have distinct age signs and each kid is now either a teen or young adult. I wonder where they are now, hopefully reunited with each other.

"You don't have to face all this alone, you know that? You're not the only one who's lost someone special." Cupa says, clutching her hands to fists on her kneecaps. I look again towards her amber irises. She was crying, but refusing to sob. "Since I've come here, I lost my parents. They're not dead... or at least I don't think so. The thing is: I don't know if they're safe, in danger, a hybrid or any of that." She slowly get's up and off the couch. "Sometimes when we all go to sleep I just lay there in bed, slowly losing hope of ever seeing them again for as long as I breathe!" As her emotions start getting the best of her, she forcefully stops herself.

I swallow the lump in my throat. I guess this is the part I say sorry too, but I think I've known Cupa enough to be aware she doesn't want that crap coming from anyone. I'm speechless actually... That this happy-go-lucky girl has something in her that brings that smile down. I mean, I have the luxury of being sure of my parent's fate but she has to go on living for the rest of her life knowing that if one of her parents die, she won't be able to be at their death bed when they go.

"...How could you live with that?" I ask. She sits on the opposite side of the couch.

"Well, I have you, Kelly, Iris, Yuri, and so on." She answers. "I tell them parts of my childhood, how my father taught me how to track and my mother teaching me how to listen and use my other senses. How they always let me snuggle up to them when I was afraid of the dark." She managed to smile by recalling her memories.

"Hm, if only that was appease-able in my case." I mutter, looking out the window to find a sheet of whiteness draped over the road, grass, and roofs of houses... Wait a minute, what the hell?! It's... snowing? As I look closer, small drops of ice could be seen in the night's shade. Cupa then gets my attention back.

"Well..." Cupa says as she scoots a little towards me, she looks straight at me.

"Tell me a story."

* * *

**So... before I go on this whole two-three month development stage again, I'd just like to wish you guys a merry or happy Christmas/Hanukkah and a happy New Year. Thanks, your patience is heavily cherished by me as I write these stories that I would not dare share to others in real life.**

_(On a side note, I'd really like some feedback on my character development. Is it to your liking or is there something I could improve on? Again, you guys are the reason I write, and I would take any advice into account if I knew it were to make your reading experience better.)_


	16. Chapter 13: A Line In The Sand

**Chapter 13: A Line In The Sand**

**Time unknown, Void**

The zombie stumbled as he searched for balance due to an unexpected summoning. Dazed and confused, he looked around him to see where he was.

"Grant..."

Just those words alone, Grant immediately recognized the owner. A cold shiver ran down his back at the tone of his deity. "Y-Yes? Your majesty?" He dropped down on one knee at once, all while waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

"I'd like a report on how tasks are coming along, if you will." Herobrine's voice had a distinct polite tone... the deadly type.

"Ah! Yes, uh..." Grant searched for words desperately at the question. It was very rare their deity summons prime assets, and even _more_ to ask for... well, _any_ progress while conquesting new worlds. So with that, Grant said the first bit of useful info that popped in his head. "It seems that um... The weather has started to evolve lately."

"Alright, not important. Tell me something useful." Herobrine walked around a bit before sitting on a throne out of shadows that materialized as he lowered himself.

"Wh-... _Useful_?! Sir, this is about as vital as getting our traitors dealt with." Grant breathed deeply before pushing on the subject. "Majesty, this alone could be what we've needed all this time. Unpredictable weather can disrupt any of their communications they use, also not to mention that these humans are not like the others we've come across. They can contract defects by the weather it... changes how they act and perform in combat and passive activities."

Herobrine rubbed his hand across his face. "How are we even taking this long then?" He muttered to himself. "Alright, that's one advantage. Anything else you might need to inform?"

"Yes, a problem with 'Icarus', and a forgotten legend. Which one would you like to hear first?"

"Well, legends were always my strong suit back then. What do we have?"

Grant scratched his cheek. "Eden." With that, Herobrine stood up.

"No." The deity said, resting his eyes straightly towards Grant. "That's not possible, he killed that dragon a long time ago!"

"Apparently, he had a child." Grant sighed. "And as far as those prophecies go, you..." He pointed toward his king. "And so called king of The End have been to be smited by the unsung hero of the original minecraftia. But let's be honest, divine notes nowadays are bullshit." Grant met Herobrine's stare to be sure he's catching on. "Ring the bells, The End has a new queen. She want's her son back, and a whole world to raise an ender dragon child."

"You have proof on this?" Herobrine asked while crossing his arms. Motioning his arms to make a chair appear for his subject.

Grant nodded his head in obligation before accepting. "Intuition, this part is what crosses two of these topics together. Lately, your influence on Nikolai Miles or recent local alias: _'Icarus' _has been weak- no... Terminated by an outside force. Instead of bringing provoking visions, it's sending more calming illusions, comforting ones."

"So.. what? Get it back." Herobrine ordered.

"Here's the thing though." Grant cleared his throat in frustration. The source is coming _in _that village they built, so what ever it is the queen is not doing it herself. But rather someone in there is transmitting their influence by some sort of aura like you do." Grant motioned his hand in a suggestive manner to Herobrine to sit down on his throne. "Before you ask, we've tried to fix this. It's just that every time we get one of ours to get close they always end up..."

"Dead." The deity finished, annoyed as he rubbed his eyes.

"The Resistance, as you know by now, relies heavily on their ranged weapons rather than a sword or a fist for that matter. Even if they do, it's when their main weapon renders useless to them. So, we need someone who has their form, not just some pile of bones or six legged bug... We need a hybrid."

"But where do we find those? All of them are traitors or deserters, not to mention that thing you told me a while back when humans don't exactly trust them. I'll need some sort of hybrid with a human resemblance, and loyal." There was a silence in the air that followed. "What?"

"I could only think of one who fits that role... And so do you."

Herobrine raised his head. "You're referring to her, aren't you?" Grant nodded his head.

"Your daughter." He muttered.

"She's not my child, and she will not by any means go into that world."

Grant closed his eyes and took a deep inhale. "She's the only one." He breathed. "And she is insisting. After all, she has your own mark."

That deadly passive tone from Herobrine came again, and the wind piked up slightly. "Grant, what did you tell her?"

"Nothing, she took a look into the problems herself and would of tried to solve it if I hadn't caught her in the act of attempting to leave." Grant said that sentence as calmly as he could. The wind around the area picked up into a forceful breeze.

"That was a lie." Herobrine shallowly muttered. He stood up again in that fearsome ruler kind of way that was more recognizable. He dashed to Grant with blinding speed before grabbing a hold of his shirt collar. "Where is she?!" He demanded.

Grant took a hold on Herobrine's wrists. "She's already on her way."

* * *

**10/06/2017, 04:59:17 AM  
En route to SoD Territory, Halcyon District  
Humans: 454  
Hybrids: 37**

"So! Why us?!" Scarlet yelled over the motor of the pick-up truck. A bump in the road followed, making her momentarily fly for a split second. "A-Ah!" She yelped before taking a death hold on the metal chassis, holding herself down. "Man, what is this thing anyway?"

"A truck." A more matured voice could barely be heard over wind and snow.

"Ah... well, not the most smoothest ride around is it? Um... your name is...?" Scarlet asks as she tilts her head, messing with some sort of device. The white haired man lifted his head and settled his white eyes on her.

"Grelle." The German responded. "And you're still new here, aren't you?"

The spider leaned in closer to him. "What did you say?! Can't hear you!" Grelle's head dropped down. Great, so much for hoping his day would get any better and not having to be woken up this early and thrown into the fray with a teenage girl as a partner. Well, at least they didn't get a kid like Bobby to come along. Hell, who's bright idea was it to let him in the first place?

"Wha- huh?" Scarlet got interrupted when her hand raised up to catch a small silver object. She then saw Grelle putting an identical object into his ear before tapping on it three times for her to do the same.

"How about now?" A voice close to her ear asked.

"My Notch, I love this world." She answered, looking to the rear and sides of the truck to see more vehicles starting to catch up. A few cars and trucks on the road while four dirt bikes are carving through through thick foliage on the offroads. Scarlet looked in awe before eagerly facing towards Grelle with a grin. "So we'll be able to use those soon?!"

Grelle took a peek to where she looked at and set his eyes on the bikes. "_I_ will." He answered. "You...-" Grelle shuffled himself to open the side pocket of a nearby duffle bag and get one of its contents. "-Will be doing ground work." He then offers a pair of binoculars to the spider. Scarlet sulked before slowly moving her hand to take it away, Grelle sighed. "Alright, maybe one day you could. But if you'd want to try it at this time, you'd likely kill yourself..." With that out of the way, Grelle went back to rummage through the bag again, see if there's any other things his affiliated militia had to offer. Looking at the corner, he saw it wasn't there anymore.

"Whoa!" He heard in his ear, he looked up to see Scarlet fiddling with a sub-machine gun behind an open bag. She started to mess around with it, waving it around and looking through the iron sights. It wasn't long till she pulled the trigger multiple times, making the gun click. Grelle started to panic at this girl's discipline, started wondering how many misfires would occur before she hits the wrong person. With that on his mind, he hastily looked inside the bag to see a narrow magazine clip with bullets all the way down to the bottom.

_'Fully loaded?'_ Grelle thought before swiping it away from the bag, but from there his curiosity got the best of him. Slowly dragging the bag in reach and opening the main zipper. M1911, Bowie knife (Serrated / D Guard Handle), and three makeshift shivs on a strap sharpened and wrapped with paracord. As if that wasn't enough, underneath the cloth of everything sat four pistol mags and three extra MP5 clips. "This is a goddamn armory..." He muttered softly before three high pitched beeps hit his ear, signalling a change in channels. Raven's voice followed.

"Look alive people. We're about ten minutes out, keep your weapons holstered and sheathed and you'll be golden... Remember, as soon as we set foot we'll be representing the Fireflies and all surrounding minor communities. Don't do anything stupid."

Grelle was about to speak what was on his mind until another click popped, a heavy accent spoke.

"Ah, yeah... About the topic of being stupid, who's bright idea was it to fit me with a Dragunov?... And an MP9 apparently... With no ammo at all."

"That'd be Erin, Tarkov. Most of this is for showcase, make us look bigger than we actually are, can't make the others think we can't pull our own weight." Raven replied. After minutes of silence, the convoy soon reached the end of the forested area and proceeded on a back road of an open field. The voice of Tarkov soon spoke after.

"That's a bit risky don't you thi- Holy... shit." Was all he could say. Grelle and Scarlet looked around to see tons of fallen scrap metal scattered and buried all across the iced earth. Rotors, landing gear, all of it came clear to the humans that the plane must have been ripped apart during a slow descent, rather than a dive... And that means this was just the sprinkle of a lightning storm from what awaits towards the populated camps ahead. One more notable thing was that a couple of people were visible in the field, picking for remains of any cargo box that may have fallen, like the one hybrid found what looked like a small bag in the distance.

"What is that?" Scarlet's hushed voice sounded. She looked straight at Grelle, whom was still looking at the wreckage.

_'A firestarter.' _Grelle answered in his thoughts.

...

_'Another wave is coming, with our blood...'_

* * *

**05:12:08 AM  
Cytus District (Residential)  
Humans: 49  
****Hybrids: 18**

_**Cupa**_

I've woke up to the feeling of something constantly prodding my cheek. When I looked up, my eyes came in contact with a fuzzy silhouette. Without thinking, I subconsciously slapped its cold finger away from my face weakly. "What time is it?..." I moaned from sleep.

"Five." The figure answered in a rough voice followed by the sound of scraping. There, a small fire illuminated the shadow to reveal part of John's face and beard stubble. As he inserted the fire stick in a lantern, he turned a small knob to brighten the flame to light the living room. "I think it's time to let you know something about Niko-" He stopped himself as he looked at me with a questioning glance. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting your..." He hushed as he brought up his hand to point it a bit right of my vision. I then noticed that my arm was seeming to hug something, and it felt like a limb... I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply before looking down towards my chest area to see I was cradling Niko's arm and I was using his shoulder for a pillow.

"Ah- Oh, um... You see, I was just-" I weakly begin.

"Having a moment- yeah." John interrupted. "It'll be quick, then you two can continue... whatever you were doing." My cheeks flushed as I heard that, before I could protest, John picked up the lantern's handle and moved away from the living room and on to the kitchen of the house.

_'Dammit...'_ I curse as I reluctantly get up from the couch and join John towards the warm light in the dining area. Well... the next minute I know, I'm sitting in a chair behind the kitchen table. "So, what is this about?"

John leaned on an electric stove before speaking further into the topic. "From what I've heard from Iris and Jay, about Niko acting strange... Do you think that too?" He looked straight towards my amber eyes seriously. My lips tightened as I thought for a minute, taking the events leading up to now into consideration.

"Well, I just... never thought he could get that angry during supper handouts." I subconsciously placed both of my hands to my knees, pondering whether if asking my next question would seem rude or out of place.

"What'd he say?"

"'I'm fine, Rin.'" I responded. Well, I guess this is my chance for my curiosity. "Who's that? Ah- if that's okay with you." I stutter, lowering my head.

"Huh... That's a name I never thought would be mentioned again." Exclaimed John, leaning forward in interest. "None of the others told me that..." John slowly walked towards the door to make sure Nikolai was still asleep. After that, he closed the two glassed framed wooden doors before sitting on the opposite side of me. Silence followed.

"He... doesn't really bring up anything from his past to others, so your guess what exactly happened between those two is as good as mine. I've heard about her from my sister though. Apparently she was this high-classed classmate he had during highschool... she was rich, you see. Complete polar-opposite of Nikolai's personality, Rin is the only reason why he's able to be a little more responsive about the people around him today. She was the only person who'd notice him and give a damn about his situation at the time." John took a quick glance towards me. "You seem pretty engrossed in this don't you?" He gave a small smirk.

"Wha?- N-No, It's because it's interesting!" I protest immediately. John raised his hands in amusement.

"Right, right. I believe you." He gave a warm smile. "Back on topic though. Seeing how he is starting to lose his... I don't know 'Niko-that-we-all-love-him-to-be-in' state, I'm trusting you, Iris, and Jen to watch over him... You especially." Says John.

"What?" I mutter in surprise.

"You're the first person out of every person on your team to meet him. The closest person Nikolai can seem to relate to is you on common interests alone." Despite his claims there's something about him that's standing out, at this moment, I close my eyes and transfer over to my senses. His heartbeat from here, it's odd- he's leaving something out.

"John, why are you avoiding a topic?" As I say this, it seems John has frozen in place on his chair, looking at me with confusion and probably a small ping of fear.

"How would you..."

I blinked a few times to get out of my senses and relaxing myself. "Creepers are natural born hunters next to wolves. I could um... _hear_ when you're lying John." I respond in the best summarized explanation I could come up with. I then put my hands up to the table and shrugged. "Why are you hiding something." I ask comfortably but with an edge of concern.

John sat there for a moment, hesitating for about a minute or two before closing his eyes for a while then nodding slowly in agreement to his thoughts. "Cupa, what you'll hear... It may change your image of Niko. Are you sure you want to know? And god damn it Cupa, think about it as closely as you can." I nod diligently, awaiting for further response. "Wh- that quick? Dammit Cupa... Look, just remember: Nikolai is Nikolai, he is the same person we all see as family like you. We're _all_ family and we take care of one another, no matter how many people look at us in disgust for what any of us do. Understand?" I nod once more, now I'm halfway leaning across the table. "During that run Niko made without us knowing. The one that he was injured severely, during that... He um... _killed_." John shook his head. "And I'm not talking about the hostile mobs. He killed two people, humans... One was found with five pistol bullet wounds around his chest, and the other... a rifle cartridge pierced through the throat."

I just looked at John, wide eyed. I... didn't expect that really, I thought it was going to be some alcohol addiction or possibly chemicals. "It was self defense..." I mutter weakly, my hand to my mouth. As my hand fell on the table heavily, I risen from my chair, clutching the edges of the piece of furniture. "It has to be! Nikolai wouldn't do that!"

"Niko claims that it was. Except, he thinks that he took the lives of three people... Like him, one also barely escaped that shootout. The person hasn't said anything regarding the subject, but the other families that the two that has died are claiming murder and blood on Nikolai's name, ironic though, since the one person living seems to have no recollection of Niko's appearance due to trauma." As John slowly stood up, I could see a small smirk before it was replaced by a straight face. "Look, kid. I know you'd want the best for Niko. In fact, I'd say your reaction and trust alone justifies that. But to clarify, just keep an eye on him. Alright? He's not the person that would like to have someone constantly beside him twenty four hours per day. I'm not telling you to keep a far distance, just saying don't overdo it with the worrying."

"Yeah, I'll do my best." I respond. "But... why doesn't he accept people's support and concerns in the first place?"

When John was about to open the kitchen doors, he stopped for a second. "As I said, he's suffered far more than what a child to young adult deserves. But however like his father, he's stubborn enough to change a world to his own. Niko adapted to his surroundings whether he actually liked it or not, and what he got from it was the anti-social person over there... Before and probably now, he's made a comfort spot in misery, and it hurts me to know that he may not be able to be dragged out of it any time soon. And this apocalypse is just salt in the wounds at this point for everyone here."

"Hey, John..." I muttered, looking down towards my laps.

"Hm?" Replied John, stopping himself at the door.

"Is it really wrong... being something else?" I say, absently minded. A small slam startled me to full attention.

"Stop right there." John demanded as he spun around to meet my eyes. But I just couldn't help it.

I fidgeted in the chair muttering other stuff like: "If any of this wouldn't of happened at all, it would be peaceful wouldn't it? Niko's mother would still be alive and he'd be happy... You and Jen could still be living in that comfortable home in the forest with no one to disturb you two at all. Your lives would just be better... without us a-" My seat then suddenly toppled backwards halfway without warning as a violent gust of cold wind exploded through the room. "Ah-!" I yelped helplessly as I felt this world's gravity at work, slowly tipping the chair to fall, and yelled a little more when another force pulled it back down only to make me see a bare foot between my legs on the edge of the seat as my head dropped.

Silence at first, but then a slightly silent yawn sounded in my ears. "You have two arms and legs don't you?" The tired voice made me slowly look up to meet soft illuminating silver irises, accompanied by glowing wings materialized out of ice.

"Bu- but...-" I begun to protest.

"From my eyes, it seems everywhere you go there's always this area around you that brings everybody enjoyment..." As he says this, Nikolai takes his foot off the chair and goes to the fridge to open it to find it empty. Reluctantly closing it in disappointment, he slowly makes a line for the door. "I'm not going to say I fully know what's happening in that mind, but I have an idea. You get this... empty feeling anywhere near people. Thinking, 'I can't I be like them, I don't belong here.' Then, you believe without yourself around it might be better for others. You're a freak, and not needed right?" He looks at me.

"No..." I mutter. "But... yes." I say as I think about the other humans in the community that still look at us in disgust and distrust. Just glaring at me and the others from their shelters, or even on the sidewalks. "Say, Niko. You've um... Dealt with this sort of thing before, right? What do you do when it gets like this?" I mutter, looking up to meet his gaze.

He closes his eyes for a second. As if forming the description in his head. "Think..." He looks down, thoughtfully. "Think of it as a line in sand. Across two sides, one side dominant in population over the other. Upon those two factions, they may look different from each other, have different ways of living and thinking. But, it doesn't simply hide the fact that we're all alive in the same world. And that's what causes friction to burn the air, making fuel for hatred and disgust... But somewhere along that, no matter how long it'll take, a there will be few who will walk on that marked ground. Not necessarily across the bound, just directly in the middle, baring messages of understanding that just might bring a small probability of acceptance and peace to come forth and wash this vast land divided by embers."

"That's... complicated." Was all I could say. But it kind of made me giggle as Niko meekly moved his head aside in embarrassment. It's kind of too fable-like for someone like me, but I got the gist of it. Slowly, it seems like my energy is filling back up.

"Don't blame me, just read that in some old book when I was little." He says while backing up and looking out the nearest window. "So it wasn't any potion aftereffect, it's really snowing... in Texas..." He muttered silently.

As I rose from my seat, I came to realize John had disappeared during the conversation entirely. I guess he trusted Niko to console me and went to his business. "Hm." I hummed as I hugged myself for warmth in this cold weather. What the hell? Just two days ago the climate seemed that of a desert and now it just switches to a tundra biome? This is a very strange world... I slowly turned my head to Nikolai who was leaning on a counter and watching the sun rise contently. As a dim light filled the kitchen, I allowed myself to relax and close my eyes... But it's a very comforting one at the same time as long as there's people like him and his family around.

Suddenly, knocks sounded from the front door, each coming quicker than the last. Niko looked in that direction before walking out of the kitchen with me subtlety following and peeking out the hallway. As Nikolai slowly opened the door, the person on the other side pushed it wide open. It was a girl about our age, short light-brown hair that seeped out from a dark red beanie, and a dark brown winter coat. It took a while for her to catch her breath with occasional coughing but eventually she spoke.

"Hey... I ah- _We _need your help, quick." she spoke urgently.

* * *

**I seriously jinxed myself when I said a two-three month development period didn't I? I REALLY apologize for this, things have been really hectic for my second year in highschool. I mean, chemistry tests you actually have to study for? Swear to god, that teacher was the Dark Souls of my Sophomore year and why I had to delay this for months on end. But yeah, in case such a thing like this happens just remember that this story is NOT dead, just in hibernation until I get my shit together. Thanks to those who have been patient enough to see this chapter through, sorry that it's short, more will come soon.**


	17. Chapter 14: Between Yours and Mine

**Chapter 14: ...Between Yours And Mine**

**10/06/2017, 06:28:14 AM**  
**SoD Territory, Halcyon District**

_**Scarlet**_

As our little group rode through the trail into a small village, we made a slow stop on the side of a road. Aged structures such as shops, resting places, and food machines towered from both sides of the sidewalks, each little shop having their own names. I tilted my head as I glimpsed at one while we strode by.

"What the Nether is an Olive Garden?" I mutter my thoughts out loud. After a moment of realizing Grelle didn't hear me, I was just left to wonder of what it used to be... Like a farm or something? My thoughts were briefly interrupted as my right eye was blinded by a yellow light that radiated heat on the right side of my face, when cupping my hand and looked forward I caught a clear view of the sun illuminating over the tall structures of this village. Saying that it looks good would be an understatement. It was **beautiful**. The weak rays reflecting on the frosted glass panes of buildings, birds ascending from nests located from inside the tall floors into the the air, and on top of that, the sky itself with its soft woolen clouds dancing in the dim sunlight. It's... fun here. Back in Minecraftia we'd have the same blockish clouds, the sun itself wouldn't have this amazing impact on our environment, and there's so much to learn from the world and Humans alike. Not to mention from what I've heard, all I've seen so far is just the surface into this vast ravine filled with gold and diamonds of the past.

"We're here!" A man said from a small window into the machine before it slid halfway shut. I couldn't help but over hear a conversation in there. "God damn, it hasn't been like this in what? Seven- twelve years? What's going on with the weather?"

I looked at the back of the vehicle, observing the left over tracks in the snow. I was really dumbfounded by that statement. _'But... This is normal, isn't it?' _I ask in my thoughts before looking into the window to the two figures curiously.

The other human sighed softly. "Somewhere around that." He answered, pondering to himself. "I know that winter is coming- we _all _know it... How many rations of food do you think we can survive with? We can't go on like this!" The other man's voice grumbles through the window.

"We have enough." The man in the driver's seat assures his friend, keeping his eyes on the trail ahead. "Erin told all of us we have enough to go around until summer comes up again."

"Is that what you believe?" The passenger coldly replied. "How would you explain the people stealing from the back of the greenery at midnight? Security smuggling small packages from the warehouse?"

The driver glanced at the man in the passenger seat for a while. "Those are just rumors, Trenton. Nothing more, volunteer for scavenging if you're so skeptical."

Trenton simply fell back in his seat, crossing his arms. "You're so full of it aren't you, Avery? The most of you don't realize what's coming! Here? This place is done, fucked!"

"Oh, for god's sake!" Avery then strengthen his grip on the wheel in front of him before shutting the window fully. As much as I wanted to pretend that didn't happen, I leaned on the rear window and pressed my ear on the cold glass. It was a bit easy to make out the muffled speech due to their shouting match. "What are you suggesting then?!"

Trenton's voice followed. "We have to get out of here, for our families! There's a group of people who want to get away too. Come with us, Avery. We can use a man like you."

A momentarily silence followed. "You're talking about suicide..." Avery sternly remarked, looking strait toward Trenton. "You want a safe haven?! It's right here. In front of you. And you're talking of abandoning it?"

"I'm talking about common sense, damn it! Since this shit started we've been terrorized, murdered, and threatened by ourselves or those-!" He stops to turn around.

"Those?" Avery gave a subtle warning, moving his head towards me as well. I quickly cross my arms and rest my temple on the cold hard iron frame, hoping to Notch they think I'm asleep or something.

"Things." Trenton finishes. "Why are we trusting _them_? Their kind has done nothing but kill all of our loved ones! Millions are dead by their hands. We know this, but give them shelters and food? Why?!"

_'What?! It's not like we've asked for this!' _I yell in my head, eyes shut in anger. Before I can stop faking my slumber and giving that man a piece of my mind, Avery spoke up.

"Because unlike you, they contribute to all of our well beings!" My eyes opened at that moment, I looked toward Trenton. Expression was mad as the Nether when he was challenged.

"What?" He demanded as he burned a hole in Avery's head with that stare.

"...How would you know the exact details of the time and place for thieves to steal at the greenery, Trenton?" He looked back at him with a blank stare as soon as we came on a straight trail. I was expecting the other man to justify himself but it didn't come. He just looked at Avery, speechless.

"That's because...-" When he tried, it was too late, his response took too long.

"_Listen_, you stupid fuck." He hisses at the vegetable thief. "Have you forgotten what happens outside those highways? Hoards of mobs, and god knows how many bandits and killers just waiting for someone to kill or rob... Is that the path you really want to drag your wife and kid through? Into hell with nothing but hopes that maybe somewhere out there will take you in?" As Trenton looked for a response he just solemnly lowered his head. And in a second Avery took his right hand off the wheel and tightly gripped it on Trenton's collar. "Answer me, damn it!" He demanded. This time I couldn't hear anything until... "Louder!"

"No, I don't!" Trenton said, budging away Avery's hand from his shirt. After a moment, Avery opened the machine's window and their voices came out a whole lot clearly.

"Good... And open up your damn forsaken mind and talk to hybrids and see them for what they really are. Lord knows how many ignorant bigots this earth can hold before it falls on its axis.

"I'm sorry Avery..." Trenton says, defeated.

"I'm not the one you should be saying that to." Avery replies.

"You want me to start a forgiveness parade?" He asks, annoyed.

"I only ask you to start with one." Avery says, pointing his thumb back before reaching the side of the small square frame of the rear window and sliding open what seems to be a miniature glass pane. How... Convenient? As soon as he opened it up, he quickly placed his hand on the wheel to stabilize the machine. "Ah, you two back there!" He says friendly as he looks through a mirror. He's got the attention of me, but seems to lack the presentation for Grelle as he's too busy with that device for communication.

_'Unsocial one, huh?' _I thought as I leaned towards him. "Hey, Grelle." I say, tilting my head. No response followed. Not even for twenty seconds by, his eyes were still dazed. "Hmm..." I hummed, thinking of snapping him out of it.

Poke.

Still nothing... maybe his face instead of his leg? With that, I knocked on his forehead multiple times as if it was a door until he took hold of my wrist. "Ah, there you are-" My voice stopped as he tossed my hand aside. What?

"Uhm... Miss." Avery said while looking at the mirror, but kept quiet as I raised my hand gently. So this is how you want to play it, Huh? As my frustration built up, my fist tightened as well...

"Hey, hey, hey!" I repeatedly say as I jab my finger on the pale haired man's knee. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" I continue. When I look up, he's still staying strong over all this. "Grelle, Grelle, Grelle!" Soon, he gritted his teeth.

"For god's sake, you're worse than Navi!" He yelled suddenly, looking in my eyes. "What do you want?"

I leaned back in satisfaction, looking right into the small window. "Kay' we're listening now." I say in glee.

"Right." Avery nods. "So, you two. My name is Avery, and that guy is Trent." He says placing is hand on his chest and pointing to Trenton with his thumb. "We only have a few minutes until the four of us get off on foot, so I figured it's a good time to get to know each other before then. You know. Strengths, Weaknesses, or even stuff about each other." After a pause he opens his mouth to begin. "So, Grelle. Where are you from?"

"Germany..." Grelle firmly answered, head down in silence.

"G-... Germany, huh?" Avery says, trying to maintain social in this unapproachable atmosphere. "That's a long way!" He remarked. "Have you got family up there?"

"Mother and a little schwester. I came to visit my father." He said, shifting his eyes to the driver's seat and to his legs.

"Impressive, what's his occupation? If it's okay I ask." Avery says.

Grelle straightens himself before speaking. "Polizei. Second Lieutenant Schnieder, have you heard of him?" Avery cocked his brow.

"Ah, him. He sometimes visited my cafe on his breaks. Before the disaster-."

At that response, Grelle suddenly jerked his head to Avery. "So, you know where he is?!" He exclaimed, slowly standing to the open window. Avery's eyes narrowed, and lips pursed.

"Sorry sir, haven't seen him since the first week."

Grelle stayed his gaze, when it seemed he was going to ask something else, he gritted his teeth. "I see..." Grelle says as he slumps to his seat.

"It's been six-seven months, Grelle. Have you been looking for him all this time?"

"Nien..." Grelle responds. "We've been slit up by the event-. Just, one thing led to another..." He then shook his head. "I should've been looking for him from day one, and that's what I'm doing right now."

This is no good, the vibe has turned grim. But at the same time I wonder... "Hey! What's so special about this Polizai?"

"They enforce the laws of the country." Trent answered, joining the conversation. "They're the people who have to capture criminals, help the troubled, and keep everyone safe."

"So... lookouts." I say. Trenton nods his head.

"Exactly like lookouts. The Police have long since broken up. Some still watch the streets in other factions. But most do security detail in the Syndicate of Defence's territory." He turned on his chair to face Grelle. "It's up to me to go to their headquarters. If you want, you could be my double, just accompany with a gun."

"I-I'm supposed to scout on a motorcycle though..." Grelle, looked down in disappointment. Trent slightly smiled.

"So? Raven's got radios, not cameras. All we need is a swap up between all of us!" This... _very_ much caught my attention... in a good way. Trent looked at Avery, he did a double take with his eye then his head in response.

"What- me? I'm a driver in this convoy, and Raven knows it. It'll seem pretty suspicious if it was someone else." Avery protests.

Trent grunted in frustration. "God damn goodie-goodie." He then looked outside the window to set eyes on me. Then, slowly tracing towards Grelle.

This time, Grelle was aware of what was going on. "Nien." He quickly protested. She's not from this world.

"I look the part." I beamed back, more determined than anything in my life.

"She's a teenager." Grelle countered swiftly.

"About to turn young adult." I match his speed.

"She doesn't know how to even ride a bike!"

"I'm a swift learner!" I crack an open smile.

"All right, all right. Calm it down you two..." Trent says calmly. "Grelle. Sorry to say this, but she's your only chance here to see if your relative is in this part of town."

"But! Ah-!" Grelle looks around at both of us as if that look is telling us to stop this nonsense. But he soon submits to his defeat. "Very well..." He then looks at me. "Is this _really_ your choice?"

"God damn right it is!" I say in their way of speaking, flashing a reassuring smile. After that, I kicked the duffel bag lightly to his side. Grelle looked at it for a while before arming up, strapping some sort of vest on.

"You- What's your name?" Trent asked.

"Scarlet, Spider." I answer.

"What kind of-..." He mutters silently before getting back on track. "Alright, Scarlet. What you will do, is get off and wait on the street beside Avery's window." He points with his thumb before continuing. "Once the bikers pull over don't say anything. Just nod and do what they tell you. Odds are that your squad will do most if not all of the work. Follow one driver and stay on his or her route the whole way and act natural. Got it?

"Got it!" I say happily.

"And Scarlet!" Trent says. "Easy on the gas."

I tilt my head in confusion. "The... What?" Trent simply used his right hand to mimic holding onto something and turning it back multiple times.

"We're here!" Avery yells for everyone's attention. As I look forward and behind the vehicle, the other trucks are coming to a stop. When we halted fully, I gleefully jumped over Grelle's side of the truck acrobatically. There's now nothing stopping me from operating one of these amazing machines, I haven't felt this rejuvenated in like... forever! I wonder if doing things like this will be second nature later on? If that's the case, count me in any task involving driving, I'll finish that crap as soon as you'll assign it!

When I turn to Grelle, he's just about finished. When he opens up a small, hollow section within the front of the vest, he inserts some weird black plate in before closing it. As soon he slips a small firearm into a leg holster, he stands up facing away from me. After a second or two he gives off his farewell. "If you break a leg or two, that's on you..." Grelle then proceeds to vault over my former side of the truck.

"Good luck to you too..." I mutter, looking at his side. With that, I look towards my left side. Awaiting my own soon to come ride like the other people on my left and right side.

Just then, Raven walked towards the other side of the road to address all of us, her scarf waving in the wind. "First responders!" She yelled over the oncoming wind of the second coming snowfall. "I'll brief you one more time. As the name symbolizes, your job is to aid any crash survivors you come across, same goes to those injured by debris!" She then turned to the other people who weren't drivers like Grelle and yelled their roles. "Peacemakers, your job is to maintain order and keep a hold of the situation. Have the people of this area returned safely to their homes and break up any disorder if it were to happen. Lethal force is _NOT _authorized, do what ever is necessary to avoid casualties at all costs! I don't care how you do it, just do it!" As she paces back and forth, she stops to confirm her explanation. "Is everyone clear?!"

"Yes ma'am!" Is what everyone more or less shouted in acknowledgement. Raven nodded at everyone before turning to the left of the road to see one lone motorcycle closing in. When it passed an intersection, four other motorcycles came into view on both sides split into pairs, forming a pack of five. As they formed a line to hand off their vehicles, the driver of my bike quickly got off of it and handed me a strange hard hat... A helmet, maybe? Along with that, she gave me her pair of gloves.

"Watch the throttle, it's sensitive!" She says, waving a quick goodbye to me as she climbed into the back of the truck Avery was driving. "One more thing!" She yelled before tossing her bag near my feet. "Don't drop it."

_'Hm...'_ I thought, examining the dark silver helmet before me. I eventually flipped it upside down and put my head through it. Most of the background noise around me was cut off and the distant talks of others were muffled as I strapped on the one-strap pack tightly across my chest. After putting on gloves, I raised my head up to admire the machinery I'd be driving. It was dyed black and red, and thick tires compared to other ones I've seen like this type. On the back side bared a strange emblem and shortly to the right of it read "Yamaha ZY250" in bold letters. My lips slowly but surely curled into a wide grin.

* * *

_Background Music: Ten Tonne Skeleton - Royal Blood_

* * *

So this is the equivalent of a horse, huh? I approached the motorcycle before sitting on the saddle. How to operate it... "Hm?" I hummed as I recalled that Trent guy's warning about something... the gas? When I looked behind me for contextual clues, I noticed everyone had their right foot resting on an iron bar while they were prepping. Sure enough, there it was hiding behind my leg along with another iron twin on the opposite side. Next is to press the ignition if I remember correctly? When I searched for a small button I realized the rumors were bullshit... But I did find one other thing, a knob in shape of a narrow piece of steel. So as a result of turning it, the machine hissed rapidly before unleashing a loud purr like the other bikes.

"Hurry it up!" Raven yelled. "Have your engines primed and get to work!" She demanded, waving her arm to the road ahead of us.

"How do I-..." I murmur to myself as I search for something to make this thing move. My thoughts drove back to Trent and his mimicked hand. It was then I noticed a white fragment on the right handle that read "Gas." I pursed my lips in anticipation as my hand slowly wrapped around it before turning it vertically. "Whoa-... AHH!" I yelled as the machine's engine ceased to purr and started to buzz, launching in incredible speed. As it carried me in front of everybody, I started to lose my balance as it tilted sideways. In a panic, I turned the gas even more and turned the handle bar. Suddenly, the bike did a one-eighty before I could hit the ground. With a bit of leaning, the bike's front tire launched high in the air. Next thing I know, I'm desperately balancing on the rear tire, holding on for dear life while yelling.

"What the?-..." Raven muttered at the scene before her eyes. As for the rest of these people, most are shouting in approval while the rest are frantically yelling instructions due to concern. After a second the bike's weight pulled forward and fell perfectly as it were before I had the pleasure,only problem is... I dont know how to stop. Which led me to accelerate in front of all the other responders and continue on without them at maximum speed.

With the risk of five days worth in Yusuf's care as motivation, I desperately wrestled to gain proper balance. When I seemed to make progress, the other responders matched my speed to form up behind me. Only one got in front of me, and he simply formed a sign with a clutched fist with its thumb pointing up. The leader then proceeded to pull his bike up and balance on one wheel while driving for a while before setting it back down.

_'This kind speed... wind, and thrill? Why didn't I do this from day one?!' _I thought as the whole pack roared onward towards the black smoke in the sky.

* * *

**07:12:46 AM  
Cytus District (Residential)  
**

_**Nikolai**_

"You're... that Pepper girl, right?" I ask towards the breathless figure in front of me. She nodded restlessly in confirmation.

"Nice to see you too, Icarus dude..." She breathed, gaining part of her breath. Come to think of it, that always bothered me from the moment I was cleared from the clinics after recovering from that gunshot wound.

"Jeez, what the hell is that name about anyway?" I thought out loud.

"It's... just what the hybrids started calling you when that thing got out of control." Pepper pointed towards my Prisma that was hidden under a sleeve.

I turned my head towards Cupa and shrugged my shoulders. "I don't suppose you now anything about it?" I ask. She simply shook her head.

"My family tended to stay away from the religious side of things in Minecraft." Cupa rested her finger on her bottom lip before looking towards me again. "Though, there is a popular folktale shared between us and wolves about a person who drowned in an ocean of molten redstone after renouncing the word of god. More or less."

That's... well, similar when I first met Notch. But it doesn't explain where the name Icarus came from, the name comes from our mythology. Not only that, but that water was fucking cold...

Pepper growled in impatience. "We don't have time for this! Both of you, let's go!" She says, stepping behind me to grab both mine and Cupa's wrist.

"H-Hey, I still need to get a- Ah!" Cupa yelped as Pepper tugged us along out into the snowy outdoors.

"Mother-!" I bit my lip as my entire body was stabbed from the frosty weather. Tearing my wrist from Pepper's grip, I crossed my arms in some desperate act to warm up. "The hell?!" I bark, gritting my teeth. When I looked over to Cupa, she's too busy looking down at her mouth out of fascination of the steam coming from her every time she breathes out. Other than that, the cold has no effect on her what so ever... _how_? "You're not bothered by this?" My head turns her direction as I ask her.

"No, not anymore..." She answers. "Am I supposed to be?"

I shrugged as I walked slowly behind Pepper. "Guess not. You lived in the snow?"

"The forest." Cupa says. "We had a settlement at least ninety blocks away from Iris's tribe." She tucked her hands in her hoodie pockets and walked a little ahead of me before speaking more. "It was peaceful place. Away from large villages and the small ones that were around the area were agricultural so they rarely ventured out into the woods. The arrangement was neat now that I think about it, we had the light snow and the wolves had the rain. Pretty isolated."

"Huh..." I mutter, shivering. "So that's why you were so scared when we met."

"You can say that..." Cupa says, turning around and gesturing her hands to me. "...And that was _also _the time you said hitting harmless girls weren't in your nature." She then spins around without another word while my legs slow to a stiff halt and my eyes slowly narrowed a bit.

"Oh, come on! You have grenades for punches! What was I supposed to do?"

* * *

**07:28:48 AM  
School (Training) Gym 1, Firefly Territory  
Basic Combat: Marksmanship (Ranged), Individual  
**

_**No PoV**_

"So what's the emergency?" Cupa asked Pepper as the three walked through the local school's hallway.

"Emergency?" Pepper responded, shifting her head to Cupa and to what's in front of her.

Cupa nodded. "Yeah... the problem that was so _urgent_?" she said, walking up to match Pepper's pace. Just then, Pepper realized the misunderstanding.

"That..." She murmured. "...Is for Icarus back there." Pepper pointed her thumb back at Nikolai who was walking slowly to view the window of the library.

"Hey, you know... Niko would be just fi-..." Nikolai lowly said, looking forward to find Pepper and Cupa busy talking to each other. "Ah, screw it." He muttered to himself inaudibly and walked to the next window. Inside the room were rows and rows of books still neatly organized by author upon their shelves. _'No one really gave a damn about literature in all this, huh?'_ Niko thought, astonished by the condition of the library.

"Icarus, what are you doing? Let's go." Pepper demanded, catching Nikolai's attention.

"Right." Niko says, taking one last glance at the library before catching up behind Cupa. "Ah... Did she say what we had to do?"

Cupa hesitated before replying as they were nearing two sets of double doors. "_Well_..." She mutters as Pepper opens the door for the two of them. When they pass through, they're greeted by the eyes of fellow platoon-mates on the sidelines of the basketball stadium, and also two other individuals in the center of it. She sat on wooden supports that formed multiple windows for a person, behind that revealed pent-up metal sheets behind cardboard target layouts. "...This" Cupa finished her sentence.

"Took you two long enough." The shorter woman in the center remarked, gesturing her hand for Cupa and Nikolai to form up with the others. When they did, she rose her voice for everyone. "For some of you hybrids, shooting a hostile in the arm isn't gonna cut it." The woman looked at Yuri especially, in which the skeleton cocked her brow in question. "For those of you who don't know, we don't have eight or ten hearts." She placed her hand upon her chest where the heart was located before walking back and fourth. "What you have now is just one, and if anything so much as pierces it you're done. From blood loss, shots to the lungs, spine, and head. There are no second chances. Alright? No reincarnation... No... Respawn." This time, the woman looked at Cupa and Jericho. "If you remember my name, it would be Nicole Jones. I'm responsible for your combat training in hostile situations. I'll be overlooking your marksmanship, and movement tactics... and the other things I've said last time. Now, I'll be observing on the sidelines and Andr, your boss will be your instructor for today.

"Y-Yess..." Andr stuttered, looking down in embarrassment. As for the rest of the platoon, they either shifted or scratched their heads in discontentment, still dazed about the fact that they're under command from this shy and timid girl. "U-...Um..." As the platoon leader searched for words to say, she only found her voice slowly faltering till it came inaudible.

"Ma'am, permission to comment." A voice rang in the silent room, Andr rose her head to look for the source. Everyone looked around except for a few. As everyone spaced out, Andr found her eyes setting upon a boy wearing a black hat with a logo sewed on it.

"Speak... Whomever your name is." She nervously answered.

"Nikolai." He spoke. "It's ah... It helps looking at the forehead when talking. If not, you can look at the wall behind us" Niko gestured his thumb back. "You don't have to look in our eyes, just think of us as dolls. We're fully at your disposal. You want us to raise a hand? We'll raise it high. Need us to hit one of those targets there? We'll get the damn thing two and a half miles away." Nikolai pursed his lips before smiling dismissively. "Heh... my point is, we'll listen. You don't have to worry about your image. Paint us a picture and all of us will make it a reality. So... act natural, okay?"

"K-Kay'..." Andr replied, looking at Nikolai's chest. Still intimidated by everyone's attention. Nikolai simply smiled and nodded his head.

"You'll get there... Commander." He reassured.

As she nodded in acknowledgement, Andr motioned her hand to the right of the crowd. Towards two medium sized steel footlockers. "Inside two of those are firearms that are only ours for this... Training session. And many others to come." Andr then paused to clear her throat before continuing. "Get a weapon. Line up on this range. T-Tests could determine who you get paired up with for our next lessons." There was a long halt of people standing still. When the enderman looked towards Niko helplessly, he simply stared back. Stood where he was, looking at the commander expectantly. "Now. Get in two lines" Andr pointed towards the caches. Few seconds went by before Jericho stepped off, followed by Cora, Samuel, Cupa, and so on.

When Nikolai followed suit beside Yuri, he slightly turned his head left. "Now you're getting it." Niko muttered softly before approaching the now, opened chests.

"This looks... decent." Kelly murmured, taking out a folded stock SG556 rifle from the crate before proceeding to the first lane. "Damn this thing is heavy..."

Iris remained silent as she grabbed the first thing she got, a small and compact SIG MPX. Light and easy to hold, she couldn't have asked for a better option. Without another thought, Iris occupied lane two.

Next was Sam and Cora, each walked individually to the two lockers. Just when the sight of an M1 Garand, Cora's arm beat his to it. Upon examining the rifle, she walked to the firing range. "Dibs..." She said as she walked away.

"What the hell?" Sam muttered to himself before settling for a MINI-14 rifle, following her. "I'll want that back at the end of this!"

The rest followed quite quickly. Jay chose an AR-15. Cupa pumped the handle of a slug loaded R870. Jericho chose a crossbow and a pack filled with bolts. Bobby had his hands on a .357 Desert Eagle, but got quickly exchanged by a 9MM Berreta by Nicole. It made him a bit more than just '_agitated._' More equivalent of crushing a dream come true.

All that was left was an anti-social cyborg, and a ironically rather curvy skeleton. As they both looked down at their boxes, both picked up their weapons and examined them. Nikolai was stuck with a compound bow and a quiver of steel arrows while Yuri picked up an SVD with rosewood finishings on. When he looked to the skeleton, a smug grin met his gaze.

"Don't do this..." Nikolai muttered, raising the quiver of arrows to emphasize his point.

"I don't know~..." Yuri replied, resting the stock on her hip. "I still don't think my skills with these are good enough."

"I'd say your usual pray and spray would do wonders than your half mile arrow shot." Nikolai sarcastically retorted.

"Well, you'll never know when you might need to improvise." Says Yuri, with a reassuring smile and resting a hand on her hip.

"No offence, Yuri. But ah..." Nikolai looked away for a while for a second before saying. "You and I both know we can't hit shit with these weapons..."

Yuri then pouted. "Okay. Maybe you can convince me, I'll trade you. No problem." Yuri put the rifle down and crossed her arms under her ample breasts.

It wasn't long before the rest of the platoon finished loading up their weapons with cartridges and stared at the two bickering to each other. Samuel tapped Cora who was watching contemptibly at their little scene. "What the hell happened between those two?" He asked the zombie.

"A childish _superiority complex _my guess." Cora softly muttered.

Samuel narrowed his eyes at them. "I don't see it." He stated.

The zombie slowly held out her index finger. "Wait. And pay attention." She commands as herself grows more interested.

"Hm~" The skeleton hums as she puts her hands on her hips and bends down towards Nikolai. "That scarf..." She says as Niko looks down at the cloth that clings around his neck. "That's a beautiful pattern... That's it!" She straightens her posture. "Lend it to me, and this is _just_ might yours for here and many others to come!" Yuri pats the forestock of her bargaining chip arrogantly.

"Fuck off..." Nikolai's voice filled the air. And along with it, a tension of shock struck the hybrids. As Yuri did a double take in confirmation this was the same shy person who she hugged before, Yuri paused at his blank stare as he lifted his head and revealing his eyes looking into her own. The amount of coldness jolted her, it seemed like he suddenly became a whole different person entirely.

"Did he just..." Jay muttered in disbelief. "Shit, man." He exclaimed, running his hand through his hair.

Iris looked in surprise. "Huh... There goes a whole civilization time's worth of tradition." She gazed at the two silver eyed people until setting her eyes on Niko. "Dumb ass." Iris muttered.

"You sure know how to pick your enemies don't you, Niko?" Kelly grinned at him.

Yuri's eye twitched a little. "I-... I'm sorry?" She stuttered, offended.

"Hey, what's going on?" Sam whispered to Cora.

"The skeleton civilization is much like a monarchy ruled by a king and a queen. Many rulers become idolized by the people, and showered with praise and gift offerings for guidance." Cora explained, flicking her head to Yuri. "What you're looking at.. Is the second princess of that kingdom. Princess Yuri Abel, heir to the throne." Cora tucked her hands in her pockets. "Royal treatment and being the shining jewel to every male in the kingdom may have made her spoiled."

"So she's a stuck up girl who get's anything she wants, huh?" Samuel looked once more ahead, then taking a step forward. "All right, I'm breaking it up." Just as soon he was about to raise his voice, Cora extended her arm to block him.

"Hold on, a lower subject that isn't affected by her charms and cusses her off? This is history in the making, you can wait right there."

Back to Yuri's culture shock, the boy speaks up. "No deal... I'll just make do with what I've got." With that said, he simply walks away.

"Wait, do you know who I am?!" Yuri yelled at Niko's back, clinging to her pride.

_'No, but from the looks of it you're being a huge anime stereotype...' _Nikolai muttered in his mind while pulling the shemagh over his nose. _'It's better not to say anything more. Don't need to add fuel to the fire... Still, I'll have to apologize later. It's not like she knows my story.'_ Despite thinking that, he couldn't help but wonder if it'll be all fine and dandy at the end since he never got along with any person that looked down on him. Whoever did usually got their face flattened or got scared shitless knowing what this 'robot' was capable of.

"Oh, that's it?" Cora murmured to herself, disappointed. Also ignoring the questionable stare coming from Samuel behind her.

Niko rubbed his eyes before looking over to the chief and nodded to her, showing he was ready while stretching the bow string. Yuri slowly followed behind with a sour look on her face, not daring to bestow her gaze upon the boy to the left of her. Andr stepped off the range and extended her arm to the row of targets. "Ready!" She ordered with sudden integrity unlike the timid demeanor she had on when they first walked in. Her voice caused a ripple effect in which everyone brought up their weapons except for Yuri who was still fumbling with hers. The boy to the left of her sighed.

"Flip the switch..." Nikolai's voice muffled through his scarf loud enough for the skeleton. After finding the safety, she sighed in relief as she lifted up the rifle.

Andr started walking behind the line. "Aim!" At that, everyone peeked through what ever iron sights they had while Nikolai loaded the arrow on the string and had to resort to pinpointing wherever the hell the arrow was going to fly off to.

"Back straight." He barely heard Yuri say. "Arms horizontal like the falling sun..." With that, Niko adjusted himself and felt more at ease. The next moments were complete silence.

"Fire!" Their chief demanded. Shortly after, her yell got flooded by the sound of explosions from firearms. While two of the only humans held their ground in face of recoil, Bobby struggled a bit before adapting. The hybrids were a whole other story however. Kelly found herself walking back as her rifle rapidly pushed against her shoulder. Whereas Iris pulled the trigger on her SMG and held on for dear life, resulting the barrel to wonder around the area. Cora had a bit of trouble with her service rifle's weight, which resulted her to occasionally switch methods of holding it. And for Cupa... The second the whole platoon was ordered to open fire, she fell back on the recoil of 12 gauge. Jericho had it easy with the recoil, the problem was pulling the string back and adjusting the scope.

"Cease fire!" Andr says as everyone eventually ran out of ammo. From there, she stepped back for Nicole to examine the targets.

First was Kelly, the target had bullet holes that trailed up from the red center. "Not bad... Just don't let the recoil control you next time." Nicole commented before walking ahead. Iris's target was covered in bullet holes all over the place from top to bottom, and side to side. "Oh, for god's sake-" Nicole muttered before facing the wolf. "You better hope this person was three feet in front of you, because you'd be dead otherwise!" The instructor strode along to Sam and Cora's marks. Samuel's target was mediocre at best whereas Cora's bullets seemed to trail downwards from the center. "Sam, you're good. Zombie, you need to work on your grip." Next batch was Cupa, Jericho, and Bobby. "That... there's a bit of grouping here. We'll arm you with buckshot in the meantime." Nicole nodded to Cupa and looked to Jericho's target. "Bolts, hm? There's only three here... So that means."

"The pull-back is horrible." Jericho stated. "Isn't it supposed to stop at the end?"

"Strength." Nicole replied. "Dexter will take care of that for you." Was all she said, going to Bobby's side of the range. Bull's Eye at the center was the most eye-catching aspect, the rest slowly spread outwards. "Now, _that_ is what I can work with." She complimented. Her satisfaction slowly but surely faded as her eyes set eyes towards the last two targets ahead of her. A blank silence followed, a few people leaned forward in an attempt to satisfy their curiosity but were cut off shortly. "Echo's commander, Andr. Please dismiss your subordinates, we're done here..." She says, not turning around but looking at the human and hybrid in front of her. Nikolai replied to this by scratching the back of his head and avoiding eye contact, whereas Yuri gave a wry grin towards the instructor only to be returned by a gleaming look that spoke of anger. Yuri quickly turned her head away, wiping the small beads of sweat that trailed across her forehead with the cloth of her glove.

"Ah... Okay." Andr replied, dismissing Echo to return to their lifestyles outside the platoon. During the process of returning firearms, Nicole stops both Nikolai and Yuri simply by speaking their names.

"You two are to stay..." Nicole says, waiting for the last person to exit out the gym. Andr idles contently as well, looking at her toes as she lifts herself up and down to further adjust to the human body until hearing the metal exit door slam shut.

"Fucking shit..." Nikolai inaudibly mutters to himself as his hands intertwine at the back of his head, taking one last look at the exit towards his freedom.

"Now. Would you two mind explaining this?" The instructor motioned her hand to the two targets. The one on the left had two arrows pierced through, an arrow punctured outside scoring perimeters all while having a wide gap to its counterpart located northwest to the center.

"Sloppy..." Yuri remarked, shaking her head.

"Really?" Nicole intervenes, stepping to the other mark, just pointing out five bullet holes revolving around the target, miles way from the bull's eye. "That's a ten round magazine... Where is the other half?"

"I dunno..." Yuri states, evasively.

"Shoot." Nicole demands.

"What?"

"Pull the trigger one last time there." She points down range. Yuri looks at her before hesitantly aiming, then a click sounded at the pull of the trigger. The skeleton lowered the weapon and slid open the chamber.

"I could of sworn there were more." Yuri murmured dismissively.

Nicole face palmed, rubbing her eyes she ordered both of two to exchange weapons. the next few moments were filled in with Nikolai wrapping the sling around his body and using a cross arm rest to steady the rifle on, holding onto his right forearm with the left hand to compensate recoil. Yuri wrapped her fingers on the grip of the compound bow and adjusted until finding a manageable hold before straightening her posture gracefully as she drew back the string. "Range is clear." Andr's voice echoed. "Fire when ready." She says, avoiding glancing at anyone.

Yuri was the first to shoot, puncturing the target's center mass efficiently. Then a bang crackled trough the air as a bullet pierced through the left target's outline of lungs, Nikolai adjusted the scope before continuing to group three shots toward the same area. Falling back on Yuri, she replied to that by showing remarkable dexterity while rapid firing four arrows relatively close but not as accurate as her other attempts.

"Pulling out a circus?" Nikolai remarked, taking a glance at Yuri.

"I can do a few back flips too if you're curious." Yuri replied, watching Niko's target get punched by small projectiles in her peripherals. "Something tells me, you're still not satisfied with what you have." She says, studying the robot's facial expressions.

"I'm more of a bolt action person than semi-auto. But beggars can't be choosers." He responded, holding his breath and taking a shot towards the head, focusing his last few rounds to group that area.

Both of them exchange small topics, but the two seem to be dancing around a big picture. They just don't want to create any discomfort to each other than they already have. "You seem... _proper_." Nikolai spoke. "There's something about your etiquette that's more... classy than others?" Yuri cocked her brow in surprise.

"How?" Yuri asks, keeping her royalty to the side.

Nikolai pursed his lips as he recalled meeting Rin's younger sister for the first few weeks. "Prideful." Was the first thing that came out. "From your response, it seemed as if you've never been criticized in your life. As if you got everything you ever wanted on a silver plate with nothing but a smile..." Seeing how that statement can subtlety make things worse he quickly followed up. "It's _not _as if I hate you if you did..."

Yuri nodded, still impressed by him. Except that plate wasn't really all that silver, it was rather... well.. _Golden_. "It's not a problem if you did." She reassured, but despite that, she was sure she would still have something like that itching at the back of her head. This human has been a marvel at reading her, but it's not as if he's the only one that can make keen observations. "I could say there's something about you too." Yuri moved her eyes to him.

"Impress me..." Nikolai says, checking his magazine to find one last cartridge.

"You're an insurgent built from dirt and sand in a world of iron and diamonds. You seem to have taken a fall as a block got destroyed under your feet." Yuri takes a moment to recall the coldness in his eyes and contrasts it to what she sees now. They look just restless now, top eyelids are slightly low resting as far as the top of his irises, minor dark circles are formed in a subtle matter under his eyes. One last detail she includes in her verbal painting is the fact the two are even having this conversation and not arguing further. "Something happened though. Through all this hate and bitterness only brought fatigue and still. As if you've been pulled away from these dark feelings, or another can be like as if water dripped from the roof of the Nether and extinguished a flame from netherrack. Well, most of it... it missed the bitterness of the embers afterwards."

Nikolai smirked at that last part as he fired a well calculated shot towards the center of the target. "Yeah, if only most people can read me like you could then life'll be a lot easier." The robot lowered the rifle to let it hang on his torso. "It was just an unfortunate turn of events in which I lost family and even my humanity. In return, I blamed the whole world for it, even those who offered a hand and apologized I always thought, 'you made me like this'. Not long after however, someone came and also tried to pull me back up. Figuratively, I stabbed her hands with needles, even begged her to let go... but she didn't. Made me realize the meaning of 'An eye for an eye makes the world blind.'"

"Sounds like a good person." Yuri commented, grabbing her final two arrows.

"Yes, she was..." Niko crossed his arms, observing the gracefulness in Yuri's form. "There's not much people I have left that I can call family, and I'll be damned if I let anything happen to them either. Even if it means to erase everything 'she' taught me, I'll do it for them." He then unwrapped the shemagh that clung on his neck. "This is a reminder of what I have left and hope to protect, I hope you now know why I was a bit angry, Yuri."

"That's _princess _Yuri to you." She gave him a friendly smile, shooting the last two arrows in quick succession. "It sounds like you're not done yet." Both of them return their weapons after Andr's command of dismissal.

"Yeah, one loose-end I'm going to take care of that should've been done long ago." Before breaking away from Yuri, Nikolai turned around and tossed his scarf towards the skeleton. She looked at him with surprise. "I bid you farewell, your _highness_." He says sarcastically, turning back around towards the exit. "Take care of it in the meantime. Also... It never hurts to loosen the fuck up." Niko waves his hand before speed walking out into the school's white painted hallways. There, he saw Cupa curled up a few feet from the gym's doors. She was asleep, resting her head on her arms as they held on the kneecaps. "Ah, what the hell?" The robot muttered, taking off his cap and fitting it snugly on the Creeper's head before pulling the hood back up. "Go home and get some real rest... God knows Jen needs the active help in keeping the place standing." He mutters, rolling up sleeves to reveal his Prisma. It was black, like a tattoo, there wasn't any glow to it at all, it looked normal rather than some fancy hybrid crap Nikolai wanted to avoid. And he was satisfied to the new look, even if it does still glow, at least it looks subtle. At this time, he turned around and crouched in front of Cupa. Putting her arms around his neck before getting a reasonable grip on her thighs to lift her up, giving her a piggyback ride. She was... surprisingly lighter than anticipated.

"Hungry..." She murmured in her sleep, tightening her arms around Nikolai's neck to fit more comfortably.

_'Yeah, wait just a bit more. Lunch will be on its way.'_ Niko thought to himself, not noticing the grin on his lips.

* * *

_Music: Silhouettes - Of Monsters and Men_

* * *

As Nikolai carried Cupa away, Yuri caught sight of both of them and pondered to herself. "Family, huh?" She mutters, looking back up._ 'Must be really important in this world to sacrifice every bit of yourself huh, Nikolai?' _Before Icarus carried on, Yuri was then left in awe as for what seemed for a second or two, she could of sworn she saw a pair of shining white broken wings on Nikolai's back slowly absorbing other particles of white light to generate a few new feathers before fading off in the air.

* * *

Back in the gym, Andr examined the targets that the two left behind. "H-How did they do?" She asked, watching Nicole observe from every angle.

"I believe we found our two sharpshooters." Nicole said, turning for the door. "Today was awful... but better than the other platoon that strolled in here."

Andr raised her head. "That means-!" She started. Nicole brought out a cigarette packet out of her pocket and lit it.

"Keep it up, Echo." She gave a thumbs up. "If Adam or Dex asks where I am, tell them I said to go screw themselves. I'm taking my break." Ignoring the instructor's bluntness, Andr was ecstatic. Finally, she found a way to prove herself here, to help in return of kindness. She recalled Nikolai's words and the way everyone paid attention to her instructions to the letter.

"I'll be counting on you... everyone." She says to herself.

* * *

**08:59:47 AM  
San Fernando Cemetery II  
Patriot Territory, Alto District  
**

_**Nikolai**_

After a long goddamn blink, fade-step or whatever, I found myself stumbling as I regained my normal body again. A black gate greeted me as it read: _Cementerio De San Fernando. _The rust marks on the text suggests that this place hasn't been properly maintained in a long while despite the occasional priests that stroll on the sidewalks on their way towards the Cathedral downtown. Some of them take notice of me and wave which in return, I awkwardly wave back. I check my Prisma carefully to notice that it still looks like a tattoo, hope it stays this way, that jump was actually a bit fun when you knew how to control it. Next agenda is perfecting the landing so to say.

As I take one step forward, that foot seems stuck to the floor as it points towards the large space in which housed multiple graves. _'Is this really what you want?'_ A voice distantly sounds from the back of my mind... _My_ voice. _'You've come all this way, trying to seal the past... Why open it back up?' _The voice asks.

_'Loose ends.'_ I answer back.

_'And going back there to those times again?! You're a fool if you think this'll help your guilty conscious...' _It berates me.

_'It's not about whether I feel guilty or not.' _I answer. _'It's being human...' _The voice didn't respond. _'You know... What "we" tried to be again.' _I taunted the voice.

_'And look how that turned out to be... We got our asses kicked and our name slandered.'_

_'It was fun though, wasn't it? When Rin came along?' _I try to appeal to my darker side. _'In fact, she was the one who suggested I do this in the first place. Before you hurt her.'_

_'I hurt her?'_ The voice put an emphasis on the "I" _'That was us. And both of us only, because that's what we are.'_

_'No... All you have done is run away from my problems, every single one of them! You saw all those assholes that we fought back against?! That was me, while all you can do was run away. So you can fuck right off and crawl back to your hole in the back of my mind! I'm going to see my Dad...' _I say, forcibly taking another step and breaking that line in the sand between heart and mind I've set up for myself over all these years. Resistance builds, as my steps slowly turn into a halt, I'm breathing heavily with a few beads of sweat on my forehead.

_'Damn it Nikolai! Don't you dare take another one!' _My right leg desperately holds itself in place, but after a few moments, I rip it off from the ground. I came all this way for this moment, there's no way I'm passing this up! '_Hold on! We've always preferred logic over emotions haven't we?! Turn back!'_

_'Like hell I am...' _I tell it. Its strange how I haven't been here in all these years, just by following my instincts I feel sure I'm going the right way.

_'You son of a bitch!' _The voice shouts, growing more desperate by the second. It's insults spare no haste trying to break me. I could give less of a shit, I came here for one thing only, and that's definitely not arguing towards myself from four years ago. As I feel I'm near my destination, the echoes of my past slowly fade. _'Nikolai, please...'_ I take another set of steps. _'D-Don't make me go back there...' _It begs sorrowfully and getting weaker the voice slowly starting becoming that of a five year old kid.

_'I'm doing this.' _I declare. _'For both of us.'_

_'I-I don't want to... I'm not r-ready...' _It pleads as I find myself standing in front of an old, black marble stone. All remaining pressure has been lifted from my body as I read the golden letters etched from it... Aiden Miles, my Dad.

"I'm here..." I breathe before collapsing on my knees breathing in and out and wiping the tears my past-self cried. "I'm sorry..." I can barely say, "So, so... Sorry." I recall the memory as if a flashback is playing in the background. I gritted my teeth. "I just wanted to skip out on a goddamn division test!" I slightly yelled before it was replaced by sobbing. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen! I didn't want it to at all!" I pleaded while feeling the war between heart and mind simmer down, leaving that line in the sand destroyed and re-used for a bridge to share every bit of sadness to both worlds. I'm now curled down on the ground, tears flowing down a steady stream while I'm sniffling multiple times. "Forgive me..." I weakly say, embracing the full feelings of that first day that five year old boy had long been overdue. It's at this moment, I noticed that my wings were out in the open... I'm too weak right now to do anything about it so.. screw it.

**15 Minutes later.**

"H-Hi, Aide-" I stop myself. "_Dad_... Fuck!" I curse at myself, punching my gut hard.

***1 Minute later.***

"Many things have happened. Like having a Japanese girl at the house and she slept with me..." A long silence went by to notice what I just said. "No, not like that..." I mutter quickly, motioning my hand towards the grave before pulling it back to cover my mouth and walking in a few circles before grunting in frustration. "Dammit!" I yell as my cheeks flush beet red.

***Moments***

"I mean, how am I supposed to know at the time that finger meant to fuck off, right?! I still would of pulled that shit to her for taking my sweetroll during homeroom breakfast in Mrs. Palmer's classroom, wouldn't you?!

***SECONDS***

I walk back and forth many times breathing in and out, looking at my Dad's name on the marble stone. I crouch in front of it... "Hey Dad, its Scarce here..."

***...***

I'm fucking kneeling on the floor at this rate. "Please don't send me to hell, please don't send me to hell..." I murmur for a good while to regain my composure. Man... Thank god the only few people that are here are across the graveyard. I stand up and take a few breaths... no curse words... no misleading sexual scenarios... NO MEMES!... Okay...

"Hey, Dad..." I say, holding everything in. So far, so good. "It's um- me, Nikolai. Your son." It's very stiff speech, but it'll do. "I know, you might be wondering where I was when Mom came out here. I... Didn't want to come, it felt to painful to even be here because of my last few words." I swallowed. "I didn't mean it, but you know that, right? I miss you..." I change the topics quickly. "So about life after the whole chip in my brain thing, it was great!" My lips pursed at that blatant lie, I sighed heavily. "No... it wasn't. I got my ass handed to me... But I also kicked some ass at some points too!" As much as I try to stay positive, something tells me my Dad wouldn't appreciate my street fighting stories at his grave. Unless if he might have... That'd be cool. "Early start is always a rough start. But I did meet a good friend during my highschool days. Her name is Rin by the way. She's helped me both educationally and... emotionally. You would of loved her, probably assist me and keep mom off of her telling Rin my good points so she can marry me." My lips curled upwards. "I really needed help there..." I murmur, clapping both my hands. "Now time for what's going on today... It's hard to believe, but they're other intelligent lifeforms out there. And they're invading Earth too, if mom's sudden appearance on your end didn't explain that."

"They're not all that bad though. In fact, a good lot of them are pretty cool. You've got Cupa who is the first hybrid I met, she was shy but slowly opened up as time went by. There's Iris who is a wolf, I've never seen anybody so interested in my ramblings about US History. Also, Jay, an enderman. Pretty awesome, they can actually teleport at will, and so can I! Kind of, it's like as if I'm flash, nonetheless it's fun. Zombie's are intelligent too" I say, pondering the irony. "There's one in our platoon, though I haven't talked to her. Also the two spiders that are Kelly and Scarlet. Kelly and I kind of saved both our lives during the start. Scarlet on the other hand..." I start to remember her outburst with Yusuf at the clinic. "She seems... dependable, time will tell before we might have to work together." I talked to my father about multiple topics until I exhausted every single one of them.

"-Still can't believe she stole my sweetroll, the hell did I do to that girl?..." I stuffed my hands in my pockets and looked off into the sky to see that its noon now. Scratching my hair, I looked back at the gravestone. "Thank you for listening to me, please tell mom I said hi. And sorry for not being able to help her when she needed it..." There was a silence I was determined to break. "I don't know what's coming Dad, but it's big and I'm afraid that I'm in the middle of it. These powers that I have, they're like nothing you ever dreamed before, not even in your research you'd think this is possible. It just is... Listen, tell mom that her brother is still alive along with his wife, and well... You know that Cupa girl? She's kind of like a sister I guess, she's helped John and Jen more ways than you think." My watch blinks multiple times, signalling I've been here longer than I intended to be.

"I'm going to protect them." I say. "No matter what it takes, I'll be there. I'm done running from my problems." I close my eyes for a while. "This isn't a goodbye, it's more of a see you later, if Cupa wants to come or if I meet Rin again I'll be sure to come again but in the meantime... _I'll be back._" I say in a terminator voice before face palming. That was horrible... but it felt good as well. So this is what it means to let loose, hm? Strange, this yard has always haunted me for my life and now I don't want to leave. I want to stay here and tell him more stories. What once were heavy weights on my mind seemed to be suddenly resolved. My watch interrupts my thoughts once again by ringing.

Right... Even if I wanted to stay, there's little more I can say at this point. My head turns towards the main gate where my car is suddenly parked in front of it. Confused for a moment, the driver's seat opens, revealing John as he looks at me with just as much disbelief as I am.

_'Stories aren't going to tailor themselves...'_ A young female melodic voice in my mind rings.


End file.
